Acceptance
by C Indiana
Summary: Life for Bella has been nothing but one challenge after another. Just when she finally thinks she's found the family of her dreams it's ripped away from her. Is it too late for her True Mate to win her heart or has Bella reached her breaking point? Warning! Futa Bella! Unbeta'd work!
1. Painful Past and Present

**I don't own Twilight but I do own most of the ideas used, but I am perfectly okay with borrowing them for a while. So I've been going back and forth on whether I was going to start uploading for this story or not. During my absent period I started working on some new stuff just to get a feel for writing again and my amazing beta, Amber, thought I should upload this story. So here y'all go. Let me know what you thing. Should I continue or just quit while I'm ahead?**

 **Bella's P.O.V.**

Three months ago, if somebody had told me that my loving boyfriend was going to be the cause of my early demise I would have laughed in their face. I thought Edward was the love of my life, my soulmate. My my my, how things can change so quickly when secrets are revealed.

 _Flashback_

" _Bella! Get down here you disgusting little freak!" I shudder as I recognize that tone. Renee isn't happy and somehow it's my fault._

 _I try and take as much time as I can to walk downstairs because I know what's waiting for me. I hate it when she's like this because it always ends with me covered in bruises._

" _You better hurry the fuck up bitch. I'm not in the mood to be kept waiting." Renee growls as I see her waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me._

" _Yes mom," I say softly avoiding eye contact. I know how much she hates it when I look her in the eye._

" _Do you understand how much you've ruined my life?! Ever since you were born you've been nothing but one problem after another!" She shouts as she delivers a painful slap._

 _I grasp my cheek forcing myself to hold back tears. By now I've learned to not ask what I did wrong. That only seems to upset her even more._

" _I was lucky enough to find a man that would marry me even though I'm saddled with a freak like you for a "daughter", and now I can't even travel with him because of you!" She yells as she slaps me again._

" _I….I'm sorry….." I mumble as my vision starts to blur from the tears welling up in my eyes._

" _I don't want your fucking apology I want you to disappear so I can finally have a fucking life." She hisses as she slaps me again._

" _I can always go live with my dad." I mumble hoping that's a solution she would be happy with._

 _I stand in silence as I wait for another slap to be delivered. "Hmm, that might be the best idea you've ever had in your pathetic excuse of a life." She says causing me to sigh in relief._

" _Pack all of your shit. I'm calling Charlie and getting you on the first plane out of here and out of my life." Renee says as she takes off back into the kitchen._

 _I waste no time running upstairs and packing all of my stuff. I thought I would have to wait another year to finally get out of this house of hell. I hope living with Charlie isn't this bad._

 _End flashback_

I've been living with Charlie for a few months now and honestly I didn't think my life could get worse than Renee, but I was so wrong.

I thought I was lucky to have fallen "in love" with the handsome Edward Cullen, but he was worse than Renee because he made me trust him. I let my walls down because I thought he actually loved me, but I was so very wrong. Everything changed the day he found out about my condition. I thought that because he was a vampire he would understand about something being forced on you that you can't control, but clearly not. He and most of his family went from the loving family I always wanted to being the cold and heartless monsters that you read about in books. The only ones who were actively nice to me on a daily basis were Alice and Emmett. I know Esme tried, but Carlisle was more controlling than he originally appeared to be...….

 _Flashback_

 _It had taken months but I finally felt like I was ready to tell the Cullen's my secret. We were all sitting in the living room enjoying a family evening._

" _I….ummm….there's something I would like to tell all of you." I say nervously as all the attention in the room turns to focus on me._

" _Is there something wrong love?" Edward asks in concern with a faint smile. That was the smile I fell in love with. The smile that helped keep my nightmares away every time I closed my eyes._

" _There's nothing wrong per say. It's just that there's something I've been hiding from all of you, and I'm tired of hiding." I sigh as I start fidgeting with my fingers. I really wish I had Alice's power so I could see how they would all react._

 _As if on cue Alice gasps as she's sucked into a vision. I feel dread settle in my heart when Edward releases an angry growl as he glares at me._

" _You're a fucking freak!" Edward growls causing me to flinch back in fear for the first time since we met. I knew he wouldn't be happy, but I thought he would at least hear me out._

" _Edward, please don't….." I don't even have time to finish my sentence before the back of his hand meets my cheek.. I feel my cheek crack from his shocking blow._

" _You don't have the right to speak anymore." He growls as he attempts to slap me again but is quickly like stopped by Emmett._

" _I understand that you're upset right now Edward, but that doesn't give you the right to abuse her." Emmett growls as I watch Alice back him up._

" _Stay the fuck out of this Emmett. This freak is unfortunately my mate so I can do with her what I damn well please!" He growls as he quickly pulls away from Emmett and turns back to me._

" _Is this why you really moved to Forks? You've always said your mother never wanted you. Is this why?" Edward continues to yell as I look at the others for help._

" _Yes," I whisper softly as Edward growls yet again. I feel Edward wrap his hand around my neck as I'm suddenly pressed into a wall._

" _Edward!" Esme yells as I feel his hand starting to tighten around my throat. "Please stop before you kill her!" Esme shouts, yet doesn't actually do anything to stop him and help me._

" _From the sounds of it I'd be doing her a favor!" Edward growls as I feel myself starting to blackout. Suddenly I feel air rush into my lungs as Edward hand is forcefully removed._

" _I don't give a damn if you're her mate or not, I won't stand here and watch you hurt my little sister." Emmett growls as he maintains his chokehold on Edward._

" _Emmett, that's enough. I can see that tempers are running high right now and maybe we all just need time to process. Edward, how about you take Bella home." Carlisle says clearly not paying attention to anything that just happened._

" _No, I'll take Bella home. Edward you stay the hell away from her." Alice says as she quickly rushes to my side and ushers me out of the house._

" _Just remember Bella you and I still have unfinished business to attend too." Those are the last words I heard from Edward for weeks. I knew he was planning something I just never knew how far he would take it._

 _End Flashback_

That was almost of month ago. Edward would always find some way to keep me on edge while at school. I've never seen so much hatred directed at me from eyes that used to look at me with love. Emmett and Alice did their best to protect me, but even so Edward always found a way around them.

Rosalie and Jasper, I can understand both of them keeping their distance, but I thought Carlisle and Esme cared about me, but clearly that's not the case. Whenever I ask about Esme, Alice and Emmett get this sad look on their faces. I can tell that this is a bad situation for everybody involved and I feel horrible because it's all my fault. Renee is right, I've been nothing but a problem since the day I was born….

If I was truly smart I would have taken all of those glares Edward sent me as a clear sign that he no longer held any kind of love for me in his heart. Again if I was smart I wouldn't have followed him out to the middle of the woods alone knowing full well I couldn't escape him if I tried.

"Hello Bella," Edward says with more venom than I'm used to hearing when he says my name. Before it used to roll off his tongue so fluidly it would make my knees weak. Now it causes a chill to run down my spine in the worst way imaginable.

"Why are we out here Edward? Are you finally ready to talk?" I know the answer to both questions, but I want him to confirm them for me. I'm trying to be strong, already having a bit of a feeling as to which direction this conversation is going to go, but if I'm going to die that's the least he can do.

"My family and I are leaving. We all decided that we couldn't risk our reputations by being associated with the resident freak whose own mother didn't want her." I feel my heart crack as his words destroy what little self-esteem I had left. I thought Alice, Emmett, and maybe Esme still loved me…...what happened?

"Edward…..I know you're not happy with me, but please don't do this." I cry softly as I will my tears not to fall. I know my pleas are falling on deaf ears. He's not going to change his mind because he's just as cold as my mother.

"Are you begging now Bella? Is that what you used to do when your mommy would beat you? You know when you first told me about Renee I hated her guts for ever laying a finger on you, but now I can see why. You're just such a fucking disappointment to everybody that crosses your pathetic path." I clench my hands at my side as his words tear into me. I don't even have any words to defend myself because what he's saying is probably true.

"Surely you don't mean that Edward. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I was afraid! I'm sure you can understand that. Isn't that why you didn't tell me about you being a vampire?" I watch as Edward advances on me slowly. I quickly realize that this is probably the end for me and I can't say I'm surprised really.

"Don't you dare compare me to you! I'm a monster by nurture, but you're a freak by nature. Now Bella I want you to remember that nobody is going to ever truly love a freak like you. I was the best you were going to get seeing as how I'm unfortunately your mate, but not even I can continue to deal with that so I'm going to deal with you. Permanently….." I close my eyes as I see him cock his fist back. So this is how it ends…..

 **Jane's P.O.V.**

I've been alive for over two centuries and that already feels way too long to me. I truly do love being a part of the Elite Volturi guard because regardless of what outsiders say we're like a family. It's just that I'm the only member without their mate and it's hard watching them all be happy when I'm not.

My whole life I've only truly had Alec by my side and now that he's met Heidi I realize that I don't even have him anymore. Over time I thought I could grow into being okay with that, but as time continues I just feel more and more alone.

Honestly I've seriously considered going to the Kings and Queens to ask them to end my existence, but I know that would not only hurt them but the rest of the guard. Unfortunately not even I am that selfish, but I wish I was.

I'm pulled out of my pitiful thoughts by a gentle knock on my door. I know without using any of my vampire senses that it's Alec. "Leave me alone Alec. I'm not in the mood to talk right now."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not here to talk then isn't it?" I swear I could just slap him sometimes. He's such a smartass. "Master Aro wishes for us to take a trip to Forks. He says that he received a tip that the Cullen's are planning on leaving their human pet and we are to go retrieve her. We leave in 30." Alec says as he then leaves to prepare for our journey.

I don't know why Aro continues to allow the Cullen's to do as they please. How can they just expose us to a human and then leave her alive? They know that's against our laws, yet they blatantly disregarded them simply because they feel like it. I growl louder at the thought of being forced to clean up the mess that the Cullen's left behind. This is absolutely ridiculous! I quickly grab my Volturi robe before heading out to meet Alec.

"Are you ready to leave dear sister?" Alec asks as we both get into guard mode for our journey to the plane.

"No, but it's not like I really have a choice do I? This better not take long I have better things to do than clean up after the Cullen's like I'm their mother." I growl softly. This mission is stupid and pointless. The Cullen's should know how to clean up their own messes by now.

In no time Alec and I have boarded the Volturi's private jet and await take off. I settle on one of the couches and begin to let my thoughts drift, but again Alec interrupts me.

"Jane are you okay? You have been rather off these last few days. We are all concerned that you're thoughts are turning darker than usual." Alec asks me in genuine concern.

"In all honesty no I'm not okay. I'm the only member of the Elite guard without a mate and it's becoming rather frustrating and it's making me feel extremely lonely. Our masters have their mates, you have Heidi, and Felix has Demetri. I have to stand by and watch all of you be happy while I am alone and miserable." I say with a bitter tone as the jet takes off.

"I can't apologize for finding my mate, but I am sorry that you feel so alone Jane. None of us ever intended for that to happen." Alec says trying to sound sympathetic.

"I know none of you did, but that doesn't change how I feel. Day in and day out I have to watch all of you rub your relationships in my face and I'm just tired of it at this point." I sigh as I take my hair out of its standard bun.

"Jane, I realize this is a bit out of the norm for both of us, but just this once can you try to stay positive and hold out hope that you will find your mate. They may be coming sooner than you think." Alec says with almost a knowing smile that makes me suspicious of his advice.

"You and I both know that staying positive has never worked in our favor so why would I start now? That's like setting myself up for disappointment, and I don't need any more of that right now thank you." I growl as I cross my arms and close my eyes hoping Alec leaves me alone for the rest of the flight.

"I know that Jane, but just this once try, if only for me." He says softly as he finally stops talking. I guess for him I can try this one time.

I decide not to respond and instead nod silently as I lie down on the couch and think about what Alec has said for the rest of the flight. I really do hope he's right. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this loneliness without losing my mind…..more than I already have.

Luckily my thoughts occupy my mind for the rest of the flight. We land in Seattle and quickly run to Forks. I really hope this doesn't take too long, I'd rather wallow in my own misery in the comfort of my room, and away from prying eyes.

As we cross into the Cullen's current hometown, Forks, I catch the most amazing scent that i've ever encountered. I just can't seem to ignore. It's like my entire being is drawn to this magnificent smell. I close my eyes as I blindly follow where this scent takes me.

"Jane, where are you going?" I completely ignore Alec as I continue to run, allowing the feeling in my heart guide my way.

I come to stop in the middle of the woods and look around. I spot a figure lying on the forest floor, curled up in a ball and whimpering softly. I quickly walk over and crouch down beside her. I can hear her pulse starting to fall to dangerously low levels and that thought alone breaks my heart.

I notice that she's mumbling something. I fight through my sadness to listen. "Please let me die…" She whimpers around a shiver of pain and she starts coughing up blood.

"Alec!" I shout in a panic. I can't just let her die. "What do I do?! I can't let her die!" I scream as I look between him and her wishing for the first time ever that I could cry.

"If you think she's your mate then you know what you have to do. She won't survive her injuries if you don't." I nod silently as I lean down close to her neck.

"I'm sorry, but I just found you. I can't lose you already." I whisper in her ear as I look down and see a bite mark on her jugular. I growl softly as I bite over the mark pushing as much venom as I possibly can into her system. I quickly grab both her wrists and urgently do the same.

 **So this chapter was really hard for me to write….I don't believe in child abuse or faulting a child for being born with unusual anatomy. Trust me if we could choose out anatomy I would have chosen to be born a boy because periods suck! Sorry trying to lighten my mood.**


	2. Anger

**I don't own Twilight and I'm okay with that honestly. I'm perfectly happy borrowing the characters and making them as gay as humanly possible before I return them. If you think about it in theory maybe that's why some of the characters in the book seems so angry. Having to deny their gay for all of eternity can quickly becoming tiring. I think I'm getting off topic again….hmmmm anyway on with the story!**

 **Jane's P.O.V.**

I remain crouched protectively over my mate as I watch my venom begin to take effect slowly, causing her bleeding to come to a halt. I watch, feeling hopeless as a shiver runs down her spine, making me truly feel like a monster for the first time in my existence. I don't even know her and I'm already causing her the worst pain imaginable and I can't do anything to help her.

"Jane, I know you're probably feeling guilty, but you had no other choice. It was either you bite her or allow her to die. We both know you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you allowed her to die." Alec says as he tries to move closer to me. I growl fiercely letting him know right now isn't the time. I'm feeling extremely territorial right now, and he needs to stay the hell away from me.

"Whether it was the right thing or not doesn't make me feel any better about it. I have so many questions I want to ask her, but I can't right now and that's infuriating. I know nothing about her and I'm already causing her pain" I sigh as I gently run my fingers through her mud matted hair as she releases another pain filled scream.

"What's the most important question you want to ask her right now?" Alec asks as I can practically feel his eyes burning into me.

"What's her name? Who did this to her? Why would they hurt her? Would she be okay with coming back to Volterra with me? Does she have family here who would miss her?" I ramble off the top questions on my mind at the present time.

"This, my dear sister, would be Isabella Swan. The girl the Cullen's allegedly left behind. I can only assume that it was one of the Cullen's that did this to her unfortunately, but that's something you need to wait for Bella to answer." I release a deadly growl as I plan all the painful ways I plan to kill each and every Cullen.

"I swear I'm going to kill…" A pain filled scream from Bella cuts off any rage induced rant I was about to start. As much as I want to kill them I can't lose focus on what's important and right now that's Bella.

"Now I realize you want to kill them, but before you allow your temper to get the best of you remember that's not what Bella needs right now. I'm sorry but she has to come back to Volterra whether she wants to or not. Since you were forced to change her she's now your responsibility as a newborn. Hopefully she's okay with that, but again she doesn't have a choice in the matter." Alec says as he continues to keep his distance.

I look down at the most beautiful person I've ever seen and I just don't understand. "How could the Cullen's just leave such a beautiful creature behind? She sounded so broken when she asked me to let her die." I say, clearly upset, and gently pull Bella into my arms. Such a fitting name for such a beautiful girl.

"Jane, we should really start heading back to the plane so we can head back to Volterra. I don't think you want her here too long. Maybe being away from this place will make both of you feel a little better.." Alec says softly.

I nod silently as I gently pick up my new found mate and start running towards the plane. I can hear her bones make sickening pops and cracks as they realign and come back together slowly as she starts to heal from my venom continuing to course through her veins. As horrible as it sounds, considering the state we would her in, I'm elated that it's my venom that is transforming her.

It feels like forever before we're finally back in Seattle boarding the plane. I watch Alec go up to the cockpit to talk to the pilot while I settle on the couch with Bella in my lap. I know she can't really hear me, but I can't resist saying something.

"I know we don't know each other, but I know you're my mate and that's all that matters. I will find and torture whoever did this to you until they're begging for death. I realize that might sound a bit twisted, but you'll come to find out that I'm actually very messed up. I truly hope that doesn't bother you too much. I enjoy hurting people, but the very thought of hurting you makes me ill, my love. I know you have no reason to believe me, but from this day forward I swear I will kill anybody who even thinks about harming a single hair on your beautiful head." I whisper softly as I gently stroke my hand along her cheek.

"The pilot says that we will be taking off momentarily." Alec says as he moved to st down in the same seat as before. I know he could hear what I said to Bella, but I'm glad he doesn't try to address any of it.

I nod as I run my fingers through Bella's hair, working around some of the clumps of mud. I'm trying to keep her calm as she releases another pain filled screamed causing her to shake. I flinch as I try to hold her still. I hate that she's in so much agony because of me.

"Jane, I can tell that you're beating yourself up over this, but just consider the alternative for a moment. Bella would have been dead within the hour if not sooner if you hadn't changed her. I know this is painful for the both of you, but now you can have each other forever." Alec says trying to cheer me up. I realize neither of us are very good at being positive or reasonable really, but I appreciate the fact that he's trying.

"What if she's not interested in that? I know you heard her begging me to let her die. Do you really think she's going to be so willing to come back from that?" I know Alec is trying, but I fail to share the same optimism as him when I can see there's more to this. When she asked me to just let her die she sounded like it was more than just physical pain guiding her words.

"Well there had to be a reason she was left for dead." I release another fierce growl at his words. "Jane just listen to me please. There's a reason she was left, and there's a reason she wanted to die. How about instead of springing the whole mate topic on her just try being her friend first. From the looks of it she's really going to need one." I nod silently as I take a yet another long hard look at Bella.

I notice that she has dark circles under her eyes as though she hasn't slept in a very long time. I notice all of the cuts and bruises along her face and hands as though she tried to defend herself. I also notice faint scars along her arms, hands and face. Most of them look old, but a few look like they are self-inflicted. Maybe Alec has a very good point. For right now Bella needs me as a friend more than she needs a mate, as much as it pains me to admit.

"It appears that once again you have a good point brother. I will try being Bella's friend first and foremost before anything else between us takes place. I've waited this long for my mate I can wait just a little while longer if that's what she needs." I sigh I rest my head against Bella's as pain filled whimpers take the place of her screams.

Alec and I spent the rest of the flight enjoying the silence, minus the screams and whimpers of pain Bella would release every now and again. I'm just thankful we got there in time to save her life even though I ultimately ended up killing her in a different way.

The second the plane has landed I load my precious cargo into my arms as gently as I possibly can as Alec and I take off towards the castle. I look down and see Bella isn't moving around as much as she once was. I can hear her heartbeat beginning to strain as she slips deeper into her transformation.

"Jane, when we get back to the castle, take Bella to your room. I'll explain to everybody what happened, but I think you need some long overdue alone time with Bella." I nod silently as I continue to run knowing that Alec is right. Thankfully it's nightfall and we can head straight towards the castle without having to worry about any humans seeing us.

After we make it inside I notice all of the lower level guards staring at us, causing me to release a deep threatening growl that quickly clears my path. In a matter of seconds, Bella and I are secure in my room. I gently place her in the middle of my bed as I survey the remaining damage that hasn't managed to heal yet. I can see that her ribs were broken, along with her left leg and right arm in several places. I feel my eyes turn black as I imagine one of the Cullen's standing over her, beating the life out of her and then leaving her for dead.

I hear Bella whimper softly which pulls me out of another potential bloodthirsty rampage. I quickly walk over to my bed and sit down by Bella. I gently run the back of my hand along her cheek. I smile softly as I can see her visibly lean into my touch.

I sit for a while just watching her before I notice that I'm covered in dirt from Forks. I really don't want to leave her alone, but I would prefer to be able to lie down next to her. With one last glance I begin to strip on my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

 **Bella's P.O.V.**

I groan in pain as I feel my heart speed up to a painfully level before it stops for a few seconds before starting a slower than usual rhythm. I reach my hand up to place it on my still aching ribs. That's when I notice that I'm no longer laying on the forest floor, but instead in a very soft bed. Slowly I open my eyes and look around.

The first thing I notice is that the room I'm in has a theme of black, and blood red, with a hint of deadly if the weapons on the wall mean anything. The second thing I notice is that the walls looks like they're made out of stone which isn't like any house I've ever seen in Forks. The last thing I noticed is that I'm not alone if the sound of a shower is any indication.

I slowly sit up and lie back against the headboard as I continue to take in my surroundings. I can see that whoever's room this is has a rather extensive book collection, along with a massive television. I also see a guitar and piano sitting in the corner off to the side. This person clearly has many interests to occupy their time.

"You're already awake? How is that even possible?" I yelp out in surprise as I failed to notice the sound of the shower turning off. I turn to see a goddess standing in the doorway of the bathroom, in nothing but a towel. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you." She says as she comes rushing to my side, still only in a towel.

On instinct I quickly move away from her whimpering. That's when I notice her blood red eyes. Oh shit…is she going to kill me?

As though she can read my mind. "Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I just want to see if you're okay? Clearly you're not healed all the way." I can see a look of confusion and frustration appears on her face.

"I'm sorry," I don't know why but I feel compelled to apologize even though I'm not really sure what she's upset.

"Don't apologize for something you have no control over Bella. It'll be okay I promise." I try not to flinch at her second attempt as using that phrase. I've learned to always be cautious when somebody keeps saying "I promise" because I've learned promises don't mean anything especially when they're made to me. "Do you have any questions you would like to ask?" I look up and see that she wants to touch and examine me, but is reframing thankfully.

"Who are you? How do you know my name? How did I get here? Where exactly is here? Also why am I here?" I start firing off questions looking for a way to keep this woman from trying to examine me.

"Okay, well to start I'm Jane Volturi, and as you for your second question it has a very loaded answer that I promise to address at a later time. Next question, you're currently in Volterra, Italy." Holy shit did she just say Italy?!

"How in the hell did I get to Italy?" I accidentally cut her off before she can finish my other questions. "The last thing I remember is…." I trail off as I remember talking to Edward in the woods before he attacked me. How am I not dead?

"Listen Bella, I'm going to be as honest with you as I can. I'm not sure if I'm any good at that whole friendship thing. I've also been told on multiple occasions that I'm not very nice, but if you need to talk I'm here." I appreciate that she's trying to be nice at my expense, but I don't know her. Wait, she has blood red eyes.

"Your eyes are blood red. Does that mean you drink from humans?" I didn't actually mean to ask that out loud! Oh my god she's going to kill me now. She's going to finish what Edward started….why can I never do anything right?

"Yes, but please don't worry you're safe here." Safe is such a taunting word because I can't remember a time when I was ever truly safe. It was always only a matter of time before something else happens in my life to bring it all crashing down around me.

"I'm not safe. No matter where I go I'm not safe. I never have been and I never will be." I spit out, allowing some of the bitterness I feel towards life to slip out.

"Okay, safe clearly wasn't the best choice of words. I'm going to put some clothes on because I'm still in a towel, and then how about we talk more when I'm done. Please know that you don't have to tell me anything you don't want too." I nod slowly agreeing, but only because I need more answers and playing nice will get them for me.

"Also I'm going to have somebody run out and get you some painkillers and something for your leg and arm. I don't want you hurting yourself more by accident. Also be mindful of your ribs." I see her look at me with genuine concern and confusion which in turn confuses me because I don't understand why she even cares. I'm just some stranger she met in the woods and just happened to save and bring to Italy.

I watch as she stands up and walks over to what I'm assuming is a walk in closet. I examine her the whole way because damn is she beautiful. I shake my head gently trying to remove those kinds of thoughts, because that's not how somebody should think about their "friend". I can still hear Edward's final words to me echoing in my head, and the quickly brings my thought back to something more realistic. I doubt even something as simple as friendship will work out for me. Nothing ever does….

 **I promise I'll start filling in more of the story as we go I just wanted to get the ball rolling for Jane and Bella. Don't worry I won't rush their relationship.**


	3. Friendship?

**I do not own Twilight and right now I'm thankful for that because honestly I could even begin to decide who I would want the main couple to be. Of course one would be Bella, but y'all know my loyalty does not lie with only one leading lady. Like Tanya and Bella would make a great couple, but so would Bella and Rosalie! Wait!...let me bring it back… This is Bella and Jane let's focus people! On with the story!**

 **Alec's P.O.V.**

I already know that my Masters aren't going to be happy with me when I inform them of the condition we discovered Bella in. The whole point of us even going to Forks was to prevent something like this from happening. Of course I can't tell Jane that right now or she would have my head on a silver platter.

"Masters," I bow upon entering the throne room. I'm pretty sure thanks to the other guards who are unable to hold their tongues they already knows how our mission went without even having to touch my hand.

"Where is Isabella? Is she okay?" For some reason unknown to me Queen Sulpicia has taken an almost obsessive interest in Bella.

"Unfortunately we were too late to stop Edward. Isabella was severely beaten and pretty much dying. Luckily Jane was able to bite her just in time to save her life, but it was against Isabella's will. I'm sorry to tell you this but I'm pretty sure our source was correct. She has lived such a horrible life that she begged Jane to just let her die." I can see that my answer angered Sulpicia the most.

"Where is Isabella right now?" Marcus asks with a bit more bite in his tone than usual. I can see that he isn't pleased with my answer either.

"Currently she is with Jane in her living quarters. I felt like it was in everyone's best interest if Jane had some alone time with Isabella. She hasn't been in the best mood since finding her, and it's best for everybody's safety if she stays there." I can see that Sulpicia wants to protest, but she knows that Jane will be extremely territorial right now. Any of us trying to force our presence on either of them will surely lead to a fight.

"Mistress Sulpicia, if you don't mind my asking, why was this mission such a secret? Why do you seem to care for Isabella so much? I don't believe you have ever met her." I see a faint smile grace her face as she looks at me with amusement.

"Isabella is my several times over great granddaughter. After I was changed I, of course, had to leave my family behind, but I did my best to keep track of them. While you and Jane were gone, our source sent me a picture of little Isabella. She looks just like her grandmother, who happens to look a lot like me." I can honestly say that I did not see that coming.

"So are you planning on welcoming Isabella into the family?" I ask, wanting to have confirmation before we even attempt to bring this information to Jane. She's been known to lash out without having the full facts.

"Aro and I fully intend on making Isabella apart of the family, but we'll see how things go in the next few weeks. If what we heard is correct she probably won't be interested in entering another vampire family. The last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable." I can see that Sulpicia is hopeful that Bella will want to stay here with us.

"I have little doubt that we will all have our work cut out for us. From what little I saw, Isabella is covered in many scars that no doubt hold many tragic stories behind them. We won't know for sure just how much damage was caused until she wakes up." All of the royals collectively release a fierce growl that would frighten even the most lethal vampire.

"I swear that the next time I see those Cullen's I'm going to kill them in the most slow and painful way that I can possibly imagine, saving Edward for last, of course." Caius says showing his darker, more twisted side.

"I'm sorry Master Caius, but I think you're going to have to get behind Jane for that position. I have yet to inform her that it was Edward that hurt Isabella because I knew she would want to go after him while we were still close. I'm positive that once she knows she's going to want to track all of the Cullen's down and kill them one by one for what they have allowed to happen." I shake my head as I remember how I could have lost an arm dealing with my dear sister.

"So Jane is already very protective of little Isabella. That's good. I'm happy my granddaughter has such a strong and capable mate." Protective isn't exactly the word I would use to describe Jane. Crazy, bloodthirsty, twisted, etc., but, of course, I'm the same way.

"I'm sure Isabella will have Jane wrapped around her finger in no time if she's not already." I couldn't resist telling them what happened on the plane because even by my standards, it was sweet.

"What has happened that would make you believe that she already is?" Aro asks as he slides to the edge of his seat. He is always in the mood for some interesting facts and tidbits.

"After we had loaded Isabella on the plane Jane had a small heart to heart with her. She said and I quote: 'I know you have no reason to believe me, but from this day forward I swear I will kill anybody who even thinks about harming a hair on your beautiful head.'" All of the Royals look highly amused by this piece of information.

"I'm glad Jane is effortlessly adjusting to their mating bond." Aro says with a faint smile. I know he has also thought of Jane and I like children to him in a way. He was very happy when I found Heidi.

"I feel as though I should warn you. Jane and I have discussed this, and we believe it is in Isabella's best interest if she doesn't know that she and Jane are mated. I will admit it was my idea because we do not know what kinds of lies Edward and the other Cullen's have been telling her. She could probably use a friend more than a mate for right now." Again another collective round of growls is released.

"Aro, I believe that after hearing of this transgression, it is in our best interest to reevaluate the kind of company that we keep. Carlisle and the majority of his family have been nothing but a massive disappointment, especially Edward." Marcus says, practically spitting out Edward's name with nothing but pure disgust.

"I believe you are correct, Marcus." Aro says as he shakes his head in remorse. "Carlisle was always so nice and caring, but clearly that temperament did not transfer over to his eldest son." I don't need Jasper's empathic ability to see that Aro is hurt by Carlisle lack of concern for Bella's safety and wellbeing.

Our meeting is interrupted by Demetri as he bursts into the throne room, frantically looking for me. "Alec, Jane needs you. She says it's urgent regarding her mate." I see the Royals have not mentioned Bella to any of the other guards yet.

"I'll be right now Demetri." I say in a clipped tone letting him know that he needs to leave right now.

Once the door is closed I turn to address my Masters once again. "I will report back to all of you when I find out what's wrong with Bella." I can see that they don't like my answer, but they accept it anyway.

I bow again as I take my leave, quickly running to Jane's room. What could possibly be wrong with Bella? She's supposed to be in the middle of her transformation.

I knock quickly as I walk into Jane's room and see Bella sitting against the headboard. What the hell? Before I even have time to process the fact that Bella's awake and still has a heartbeat Jane's rattling off a list of things she'll need to help tend to Bella's injuries. Just as quick as I entered I was being shoved out the door with an actual list of supplies in my hand.

 **Jane's P.O.V.**

I lean back against my door as I look at Bella. I can see that she's uncomfortable, but I can't tell if that's from her injuries or if it's because she's in an unfamiliar setting.

"I'm sure Alec will be back soon. Would you like to talk while he's gone or would you prefer to wait until later?" I don't know why I feel so nervous, but I can't help it. It's not every day you meet your mate. It's also not every day you have to turn your mate, who then wakes up during said transformation.

"I'm okay with talking now, but is it okay if I stay on the bed? I don't think my leg can handle my weight right now." Bella says softly with fear. Does she think I would actually make her get up?

"Of course, please stay where you are. I want you to be comfortable." I say as I move to the other side of the bed. "Is it okay if I sit next to you? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, so if it's not okay I can just pull up a chair or something." I'm cut off by Bella's adorable laugh.

"Never thought I'd see the day when a human drinker was nervous. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who should be nervous, not you. I am the one in a foreign country with no plausible way to escape if you or somebody here decides to kill me." I release a fierce growl as the thought of somebody else harming my Bella crosses my mind.

I quickly stop when I see Bella's muscles lock up. Dammit I didn't mean to scare her. "I'm sorry Isabella. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just not fond of the thought of somebody hurting you. Nobody here will hurt you either I can guarantee that." I sigh as she nods her head stiffly.

"After I prefer Bella, if you don't mind." She mumbles softly as she looks down at her hands. "I still don't understand why you care so much. I can barely count on one hand how many people actually do care about me and they've known me far longer than you." Bella practically growls. I can see that she does have some vampire instincts like self-preservation, but it's likely she had that before I tried transforming her.

"I can see why you would question my motives behind caring, but honestly all I can say is that I feel a connection to you. I'm not asking you to trust me immediately, but I would appreciate it if you at least gave me a chance to try to be your friend." I watch as Bella eyes me suspiciously before slowly nodding her head.

"I don't think I've ever really had a friend…...I mean Emmett and Alice were always nice to me, and Esme tried her best. I guess at the end their loyalties were always with him…." I see Bella try to curl herself into a ball as the light fades from her eyes. I can tell she's becoming lost in her thoughts and I can't let that happen right now.

"I can't say I've ever had a friend either remember, but hey it's worth a shot don't you think? Besides I'm your caretaker until you're all better so you're kind of stuck with me. I hope that's okay." The last thing I want is for Bella to feel like a prisoner.

"You seem to be pretty nice. I find it hard to believe that you don't have friends. Is there something in particular that you want from me?" Bella asks giving me a skeptical look.

"Do I really have to have a reason to be nice to you?" I hear Bella release a dark chuckle as she looks at the door in front of my bed. I watch as her eyes darken again as I see memories start to take over.

"Most people I knew treated me like I was less than the dirt at the bottom of their shoes, and that's only if they bothered to acknowledge my presence in the first place. So yes, I do find it hard pressed to believe you're going to continue to be nice to me without some kind of motive behind it." Bella says in a hardened tone. Has her life really been that bad?

I don't really know what to say at this point so I just decide to allow silence to envelope us for the time being. I watch as different emotions play out across Bella's beautiful face as she continues to go deeper into her thoughts.

"You know my life wasn't that great either. Actually that's the understatement of the century. By the age of 16 my twin brother Alec and I were almost burned at the stake for being witches. Aro was about to save us. Before that I spent my whole life being called a freak by my parents and villagers. From that you can conclude that I never had friends, or really knew how to interact with others." I look over and see Bella giving me a thoughtful look that I can't really decipher.

"It sounds like we have more in common than I thought." She releases a dark chuckle before she goes back to staring at the wall. I think changing the subject is the best chance I have of pulling her out of her head.

"How about we not worry about that for now? Let's just focus on getting you better for now. Speaking of which, how are you feeling? Do you feel any differently?" I ask with genuine curiosity.

"Now that you mention it I do feel kind of weird. It's like my vision is more clear, and I think can hear better than I remember. Why? What did you do to me?" Bella growls as she shoots me a vicious glare.

"When Alec and I found you in the woods you were dying. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you die. So I bit you and brought you back to Italy with us." I look into her eyes, but I can't seem to get a good gauge on her emotions right now.

"I thought going through the transformation was supposed to heal any and all injuries I had while human? I don't feel very much like a vampire and my leg and side are still killing me." I resist the urge to reach out and pull her into my arms, but I doubt she would respond well to that.

"That's the thing, for some reason you woke up during the transformation. It seems like my venom only healed you enough so that you wouldn't die and it appears to have enhanced your senses, but other than that I have no clue what happened. I've never heard of this happening before so I'm just as lost as you are." I watch as a pain filled frown appears on her face.

"Of course, I'm such a failure I can't even transform into a vampire right." Bella says with a dark chuckle.

"Please don't say that Bella. I'm sure we'll figure out what happened. How about for now we just worry about getting you healed and back on your feet?" I say, trying to pull her out of her dark thoughts. It's amazing how much I'm contradicting myself right now. I'm usually all for dark thoughts, but not when it comes to Bella.

"Would it be okay if I tried to take a nap or something while we wait for Alec to get back? I'm not really up for talking anymore." I try to keep the disappointment off my face.

"Of course Bella, would you like me to leave you alone for a while?" I really want to stay, but if she wants me to leave I will respect her wishes.

"If you don't mind, I just feel like there's so much for me to process right now." I nod silently as I stand up and start heading towards my door.

"If you need me don't hesitate to call for me. I'll be here as soon as I possibly can. Also, please don't feel like you have to worry. Not a single soul in this castle will cause you harm, they fear me way too much." I could practically hit myself at how stupid I sound. Why did I have to keep talking? Please don't ask me what I mean by that.

"Okay and thank you Jane. You've been very nice to me." She sounds very robotic and stiff when she said that.

I turn around to face her and with as much emotion as I can I decide to embarrass myself some more. "There are very few people I will willingly be nice to you and you will always be at the top of that list Bella." I quickly run out of my room before she has time to reply.

 **This story is coming along rather nicely if I do say so myself, but it's time to add some turbulence don't y'all think? Even if y'all don't too bad! 'Tis my story and I'm ready for Jane to go a little batshit crazy.**

 **Also you will notice that while Alec was in the Throne Room out loud he would refer to her as Isabella, but in his private thoughts he would call her Bella. It's a thing of respect. I'll be sure to explain it more later.**


	4. Sulpicia

**I hate having to say that I don't own Twilight because I really wish I did. It would be awesome (after I made hella changes of course). If y'all haven't noticed writing lesbian or lesbian futa fiction seems to be my favorite genre. Oh and I should probably mention that all mistakes are my own. My beta is too busy so I will be handling things on my own from now on. I hope y'all are cool with that….let's be real here even if y'all weren't there's not much you can do about it. Anyway! On with the story!**

 **Jane's P.O.V.**

I stand outside my bedroom door for a few moments, trying to decide if I really want to leave Bella alone. What if she needs me? What if one of the newer guards catches her scent? No, I need to stop thinking like this. Bella asked for time alone to think and I'm going to give it to her. She has a lot to process and me hovering isn't going to help.

I pace in front of my door for a few moments before I realize that the temptation to constantly be by Bella's side is almost too strong for me to resist, so I decide to leave. I take off towards the throne room to debrief my Masters on my latest mission. I want them all to know that the Cullen's have officially become vampire enemy number one in my eyes.

It only takes a few moments before I'm standing in the throne room and see all of my Masters looking at me quizzically. "Why hello Jane, it's such a pleasure to see you." Aro says, being the first to recover from what I assume is shock.

"If you are here to debrief us on your latest mission that really won't be necessary Alec has already been by and told us everything we need to know." Why does it feel as though they're leaving out information that I need to know?

"Forgive me, but it feels like there's more about us going to Forks than I was told. The timing was simply too perfect for it to be a coincidence." I cross my arms over my chest as I see a guilty expression flash across Sulpicia's face. Wait a minute...

"By the look on your face when you looked at me I'm sure you've figured it out by now. I mean no offense to Alec, but you have always been the sharper twin." Sulpicia chuckles softly. "As I told Alec when he was here, Isabella is my several times over great granddaughter. Had I known she was with the Cullen's I would have sent you to retrieve her much sooner." I see true remorse settle on her face.

"Do you also happen to know which Cullen attempted to murder her?" I growl, allowing my angry to build up inside of me. It seems like being around Bella had a calming effect, but now that's gone.

"We received a call from a credible source that we would prefer to keep anonymous for now notifying us that Edward was going to do something to Isabella. We didn't know when or why, which is why we sent you and Alec out as soon as we could." Aro says taking over for Sulpicia.

"So I believe it is safe to assume that you already know that she is my mate." I'm sure Alec notified them if they didn't know already.

"Yes, Alec told us. We're so happy for you Jane. I could not ask for a better mate for my dear granddaughter." I smile softly at Sulpicia's praise. Not that it would change anything, but it's nice to know that she of all people approves.

"Thank you, but I still want Edward's head mounted on my wall. I want to hurt him the same way he hurt her, and a whole lot worse." I growl as I feel my eyes darken.

"Believe me when I say that we do as well, but there will be a time and place for that. First, we must concern ourselves with Isabella." Marcus says, deciding to be the voice of reason for the time being.

"She will always be my first concern." I growl not giving a damn if he is older than me. How dare he actually believe that I wouldn't put my mate first and foremost!

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, Jane." I nod silently at Marcus, accepting his apology for now.

"Jane, is there a particular reason you're in here and not in your room with Isabella?" I sigh knowing one of them was going to ask me that eventually.

"She said she needed time alone to process, and this is me trying to not to force my presence on her." It's becoming increasingly difficult to stand here when all I want is to be by her side. I should have just stood outside the door like I had originally planned.

"Wait a moment, she's awake? I thought Alec said you had to bite her?" Marcus asks as he leans forward in his seat, becoming more intrigued by the conversation.

"It seems that my venom only did enough to keep her from dying, but she's awake now. She said her hearing and eyesight are better, but that's all we know for now. I was hoping maybe you would know more about this." I watch as they all look between each other shaking their heads. I guess they're just as confused as we are.

"I'm sorry Jane, but we've honestly never heard or come across anything like this happening before. We will check around though, just in case, because this is truly perplexing." Aro says with an excited smile.

"Thank you," I say with a slight bow.

"Of course Jane, now were you able to find anything out about Isabella? I would love to see her and talk to her myself, but I doubt that would be the best idea currently." I can see that Sulpicia is happy that Bella is here, but not the condition she arrived in.

"She told me that she prefers to be called Bella. Outside of that I haven't really been able to learn much of anything. She's very guarded and isn't willing to trust anybody right now. Actually she thought that I was going to kill her, and she most likely still thinks I will at some point." I feel my heart clench at that thought.

"I'm sure that even if she is only part vampire, Isabella feels at least some of the connection the two of you share. Alec told us about the plan you two devised. Do you really think being friends is the best thing for her?" Sulpicia asks, wanting my honest opinion.

"Honestly I don't have a single clue what would and wouldn't be best for her, but I don't think she would handle us being mates very well right now. I believe mentally and emotionally her knowing would do more harm than good." I see her nod slowly, accepting my answer even though I wish it were different.

"How bad are her injuries now that she's awake?" Clearly Sulpicia is going to keep asking me questions until she's satisfied, but I doubt anything I say will make her happy.

"She still has many of the same external injuries she had before, but I believe my venom healed most of the worst internal damage. Her ribs, leg and arm are still injured. I sent Alec out to get the supplies I will need to repair the remaining damage and manage her pain." Another collective growl rings out through the throne room.

"I can't wait until those Cullen's have the nerve to show their faces here." Caius growls, appealing to my darker side that wants to kill every single one of those Cullen's.

"Caius, my love, please calm down. That's not helpful in our current situation." Athenodora says as she places a calming hand on his arm. I see him visibly relax a little bit. "Now Jane, I don't need an ability to know that something is on your mind." She's giving me a knowing smile that's honestly kind of creepy.

"It's just hard not being able to near Bella right now. I can't say I'm happy about the whole friendship idea, but I love her so I'll be whatever she needs me to be so that she can be happy and healthy." I hate showing this much emotion, but i suppose if I can't talk to them then who else can I talk to?

"Why do I have the feeling there's a but in there somewhere?" Sulpicia asks, giving me the same knowing smile that is starting to get on my nerves.

"I'm not good at the whole being nice thing. I kill people and vampires on a regular basis, and I get a lot of joy out of it. I'm a very twisted individual and I'm perfectly okay with that. I'm pretty sure I'm the epitome of everything Bella's afraid of. How do we get past that? I okay with being her friend for now, but eventually I'm hoping she will acknowledge the mating bond we share." I see them all nodding in understanding, that honestly does little to help.

"I can understand why you would be concerned Jane, but I have one question for you. What are your instincts telling you to do?" Marcus asks as he leans back into his throne. I look at all of my Masters individually while I attempt to formulate an appropriate answer.

"They're telling me to protect her by any means necessary." Marcus smiles at my very truthful answer, which slightly confuses me.

"I can see that the two of you will share a very strong bond. Just be sure to listen to your heart and your instincts, Jane. Neither will ever lead you astray. You and Isabella have both had a difficult past, but with understanding and the proper care you two can share an extraordinary future together." I nod silently in thanks because he helped put my mind at ease.

As this point a somewhat tense silence settles over all of us because there really isn't much left to say. I can't help but think about how much I would rather be with Bella right now, but I doubt she's had enough time alone to think like she wanted.

"Jane, if you don't mind I would like to talk to you about a few things, in private." I look up and see Sulpicia walking out of the throne room and towards the garden. Clearly there isn't an option to say no...

"Of course, Mistress," I say lamely as I follow behind her obediently like I was trained too.

 **Sulpicia's P.O.V.**

We enter the garden in silence as Jane continues to follow behind me, waiting for me to say something first. A few minutes have passed before I see the silence is finally getting to her. "Mistress," she sighs but I decide to quickly interject.

"Jane, seeing as how you are mated to my granddaughter I believe it would be appropriate for you to call me by my name. After all we are technically in-laws now." I finally see her crack a small smile. She is understandable under a great deal of stress right now. I wish I could help make it better.

"Okay, Sulpicia, was there something in particular that you wished to discuss with me?" Jane asks as she moves to walk alongside me now.

"I feel as though it's only fair that I provide you with some insight that would be beneficial going forward. Of course I won't give you any specifics because it is not my place to tell you, but Isabella has had to face many tragedies in her short life. Not only was Edward rather cruel to her, but so was her own mother." I see Jane's hand clench into tight fists at her sides. I can see that she's trying very valiantly to control her anger.

"Please do not take this the wrong way, but why are you telling me? Why did it have to be done in private?" She has every right to be suspicious of my actions.

"I meant what I said while we were in the throne room. I really couldn't have imagined a better mate for my granddaughter. You are loyal, determined, and I know you will never hurt her. You also understand what it's like to be treated different your whole life for something that you have no control over. Unfortunately so does Isabella." I realize that I'm being rather cryptic, but I would rather not say too much by accident.

"Regardless of who or what Bella is or isn't, that doesn't change how I feel about her. I know you are being vague on purpose so I will not question you further." I smile softly, because Jane truly is a very bright girl.

"There are things that would just be better understood if Isabella told you herself. I believe it would help build a trusting bond between the two of you." From the skeptical look she's giving me, she already knows that's not the only reason I'm not telling her, but again she decides to leave it alone for now.

We walk in silence for a little while longer, both of our thoughts are undoubtedly on the same person, but for different reasons. I wish I had kept better track of Renee, but she always moved around so much. I could tell from her history that she wasn't mother material, but I never thought she would be abusive. Isabella deserved so much more than the life she had.

I didn't realize that I was signing out loud until Jane kindly pointed it out. "Is there something bothering you, Sulpicia?" I couldn't resist sighing again.

"May I tell you something, strictly in confidence?" I look over and see her nod silently. "My daughter was only 4 when I was changed and had to leave her behind. Her name was also Isabella. I regret not being able to raise my daughter, and it feels like I have a second chance now." I say with a faint smile. Most of my memories have long since faded, but I will never forget my beautiful daughters smile.

"Do you plan to tell Bella about her linage?" I come to a stop in the middle of the path and look up at the clouds that pass overhead as the smile slides off of my face.

"I would very much like to, but I also realize that she won't really be willing to listen right now. I'm positive that Esme Cullen attempted to be the mother figure that Isabella never had, and now that has blown up in her face. I doubt she would be willing to give me a chance." My hatred of the Cullen's continues to grow the more I think about them.

"Can I give you some advice?" I look down at Jane and nod silently. "I think you should follow the same advice I was given. Listen to your instincts. Bella might not be willing to listen to everything right now, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. I think she could use a friend and a mother right now." I feel my eyes pool with venom. I really do wish that I could cry at times like this.

"Do you really think so?" I ask with uncertainty. The last thing I want to do is end up pushing Isabella further away.

"If you are correct and our upbringings are even a little bit similar, then she will want and need a mother figure to reassure her sometimes. Over the years you and Mistress Athenodora have both been very helpful in that aspect, especially when Alec found his mate and I hadn't." I never knew moments like that meant so much to her.

"Do you think it would be possible for me to see her today?" I ask, starting to feel anxious. I really don't think that I can wait any longer.

"I believe it's worth a shot. Alec should be getting back soon so we can start walking that way now." Jane says as she turns around and starts heading back towards the castle. This time I allow her to take the lead while I let my mind wonder.

I know I should prepare myself to face Isabella's anger. She has every right to be angry. Not only at me, but at the world if she so pleases. If I had known sooner just how incompetent Renee was I would have taken Isabella and raised her as my own. I just hope it isn't too late to fix the mistakes made in her past.

 **As y'all know I usually throw a lot of information at y'all in the beginning. I will always go back and fill in the necessary information as the story progresses. I don't know if Sulpicia actually had a daughter, but she does now so deal with it. So I don't wanna hear any complaining, and I also don't wanna hear about how Jane is too nice. She'll only be nice when Bella is involved, obviously. Other than that she will still be the spiteful and overall hatred filled Jane we know and love.**


	5. Lineage

**So as per usual I don't own Twilight, but it would have been amazing and hella fabulous if I did. I'd have Bella with…...some chick (I don't know really) and Edward would be her super gay best friend….I feel like there's a story in there somewhere. What do y'all think? I think I could make a story out of that. Wait! I keep getting off track one story at a time (that's a lie). ANYWAY! On with the story!**

 **Bella's P.O.V.**

It hasn't been that long since I asked Jane to leave, and I feel a slight yearning in my chest for her to come back. I decide to ignore it for now because regardless of what it could possibly mean it doesn't matter.

I close my eyes and rest my head against the headboard, trying to ignore the constant pain I feel coursing through my body. On top of everything, I can feel a headache starting to form from all the questions I have swirling around in my mind.

Why did she have to save my life? Why did she bring me to Italy of all places? I kind of wish she hadn't, it's not like my life means all that much to anybody.

I open my eyes and take another look around the room. I again notice all the instruments, but my eyes quickly move towards the bookshelves and all of the books. This time around I notice that the majority of the books are in what I assume is Italian, which would make sense since we are in Italy.

Okay so Jane's at the very least bilingual and she obviously knows how to play quite an array of instruments. Unless she has a mate and they share this room like Rosalie and Emmett did. Why didn't I ask her if she had a mate before she left? Would it be considered rude if I did? Maybe I should leave just in case she does. The last thing I need is another vampire upset with me.

I try to gently slide to the edge of the bed, but quickly realize my mistake when my foot touches the floor sending a blinding pain up my leg and through my whole body. Oh dear god that hurts like hell. Aren't I supposed to be at least half vampire? Shouldn't I be more healed than this?

I sit back on the bed heavily as an intense wave of depression hits me. Why do I lack the ability to do absolutely anything right? Even things I have no control over I completely fail at … .that's why nobody ever truly wanted me. Renee, Charlie, hell even the Cullen's … .why did Jane have to save my life?

"To her, your life was worth saving regardless of what you obviously believe to be otherwise." I jump in surprise, not even realizing I had said that out loud. I look up and see Alec standing in the doorway with a bag full of the supplies Jane requested.

I hiss in pain as I grab my ribs. I take several deep breaths as I wait for the pain I feel to pass slightly. "Oh I didn't mean to scare you. Don't tell Jane I scared you, she'd kill me. I did knock, but nobody answered." Even though his tone sounds neutral I can see in his eyes that he feels actual remorse for scaring me. I don't know why though. It's not like this is my room or anything.

"It's okay there's no need to apologize. Jane is actually out right now; she was giving me time to think." I sigh as I start to feel something in my chest that makes me want her to come back, but once again I decide to ignore it or now.

"Oh yes, you've had quite an action packed day. Are you sure being alone in your thoughts is the best idea?" I can see that he's actually concerned, but I don't allow myself to fully believe it. I've had many people start off caring about me before they suddenly just don't.

"That's not exactly how I would describe my day. Also probably not, but I'm not used to having somebody around when I think." I sigh. I look at him and notice that his eyes are completely black. I can't help but move away from him when I feel my muscles begin to tighten. Is he upset with me?

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Alec asks as he quickly rushes to my side. I try to move as far away from his as I can. I start to have a flashback to when Edward would land blow after blow with both his hands and his feet. I shiver in disgust when I hear the sickening sound my leg made when he stepped on it snapping it in half. How pathetic do you have to be to make your own mate try to kill you?

I release a pitiful whimper as my muscles harshly protest any kind of movement. I didn't even notice that Jane had returned until I felt her subtle weight on the bed.

"Bella, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you, but you can't really move right now. Please try to stay still for me." I hear her whisper softly in my ear.

As much as I hate to admit this, Jane's presence actually did help me calm down a great deal. I don't know why though. Edward never made me feel this way. If anything he put me more on edge, especially after he learned about my secret.

Would Jane eventually start to make me feel on edge once she finds out? I hiss softly when I feel a cold hand press against my ribs. I look down and see that it's Jane's hand on my ribs underneath my shirt. Wait when did she do that?

"I'm trying to assess the damage and that's difficult to do with your shirt and undershirt in the way. I realize I should have checked with you earlier, but I think I was too shocked by the fact that you were awake." I look in her eyes and see remorse, so I just nod silently and allow her to check.

"I really am sorry that I scared you, Bella." I finally look up and see him standing by the door next to another woman who looks strangely familiar, but I can't seem to place her. I can tell by her blood red eyes that she's a vampire.

I start to feel self-conscious because all three of them look so perfect and I'm stuck in bed unable to move. Now that I think about it I'm probably still covered in dirt, and I'm getting Jane's bed all dirty, fantastic. I groan mentally.

"Bella, is it okay if I take your pants off?" I hear Jane asks as her hands starts to travel towards the button on my jeans.

"No!" I shout as I try to jerk away, once again sending a crippling pain across my body. I see Jane recoil in shock at my violent reaction.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, but I can't check your leg with your jeans in the way." Jane says, trying to justify her actions. I know I should be more cooperative, but she can't know. I like her being nice to me.

"I'm not taking my jeans off." I say while shaking my head as I place my hands over the fly of my jeans. I realize that if she actually wanted to remove my jeans there isn't anything I can do to stop her. Thankfully she accepts my answer.

"Okay then do you mind if I tear off the leg of your jeans?" Jane asks trying to offer me another option. I nod slowly. It's not like I'll actually ever wear these jeans again anyway.

"Alec, can you please go get me a glass of water? I want Bella to take some pain medication before I even attempt to deal with all her injuries properly." I watch him nod before he takes off out the door.

I look up and see the woman still standing there looking at me with concern, but it almost seems deeper than that. Honestly she looks like she's close to tears at this point.

I didn't even notice Jane had moved until another hit of blinding pain shoots up my leg, effectively distracting me from my staring contest with the mystery woman.

"Oh fuck!" I shout as I again try to move away from the pain, but that does nothing but cause me even more indescribable pain. I couldn't fight back the tears that start to stream down my face. Why couldn't she just let me die? Surely death is better than dealing with this pain.

"Shit, your leg is still broken. I'm sorry." Jane whispers. I look down and see that she's genuinely upset which again confuses me. Why does she care? Why do any of these people care? It's not like it's her leg that's broken after all.

I look down at my leg and see that's it's severely bruised, to the point that my leg looks almost black. I gasp softly when the woman standing by the door releases a sharp growl as she too looks at my leg. I have to resist the urge to move away from her because I've learned that that will just cause me more pain than it's worth.

She can clearly sense my fear though and quickly stops. "Oh I'm sorry Isabella. I didn't mean to frighten you." I don't even bother to correct her as I just stare at her again. Why does it feel like I know her?

I don't have long to think about it before Alec is back with a glass of water. It's only a matter of moments before Jane hands me a glass and a few pills. I decide not to question what they are and just swallow them. I don't really care what they are as long as they stop the pain.

"I would like to wait for those to kick in before I try to do anything else. In the meantime would you like to take a bath?" I nod silently starting to feel self-conscious again. "Okay, I'll run you a bath and then help you get undressed."

"No!" I shout again. I shake my head furiously as I attempt to look for a way out of this. The last thing I want is for Jane to see me naked. Surely she'll stop being so nice to me once she finds out.

"Bella, you can't do it yourself. Your leg is broken and I doubt you can reach your hands up high enough to wash your hair. Plus I think your wrist is at the least sprained on the side opposite your ribs." Jane tries to rationalize, but I'm not willing to listen to any of it.

"I don't want your damn help. I can do it myself." I say ignoring the hurt look Jane gives me. I'd rather prolong her inevitable rejection for as long as I can.

"Jane, could you please go run the bath water for her? Alec, thank you for retrieving the supplies needed, but you're free to go for now." The mystery woman says never looking away from me. I see that both Jane and Alec follow her orders, but I can see Jane hesitates more than Alec does.

While Jane is in the bathroom the woman moves closer to me. I don't bother trying to move away because I know the pills haven't kicked in that much yet. Besides I don't believe she's going to hurt me, at least not yet.

"Hello Isabella, I'm Sulpicia." She says with a kind smile. Again I don't bother to tell her that I prefer to be called Bella because I believe that regardless of what I say she'll call me Isabella. I can tell that she's an older vampire simply by how she carries herself. I can also see that she has authority around here, but I'm not really sure to what extent.

"Hello," I say trying not to blush under her intense gaze. Since she appears to be studying me I take the time to do the same. Her hair is what I could only describe as luscious brown with a lot of natural highlights. It's slightly curled and cascades all the way down to the middle of her back from what I can see. She has very sharp cheekbones, but, of course, all the vampires I've seen do.

I study her whole face and notice that she's giving me a knowing smile, which confuses me. Why is she smiling at me like she knows something I don't? Wait is she Jane's mate? Why does it kind of bother me that she might be? Why do I even care if Jane has a mate?

I don't have long to think about that before Jane is coming back in the room. "The water's ready." She says as she moves to stand next to Sulpicia at a bit of a distance. If they were mates wouldn't they stand closer? Wait, I'm not supposed to care.

"Thank you Jane, now I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well." I watch as Jane stiffens. I see her open her mouth to protest, but Sulpicia cuts her off before she can. "Remember what we talked about in the garden? I need you to trust me." I see Jane look between me and Sulpicia a few times before she reluctantly nods her head.

"I'll be back in a little while." She says lamely as she leaves again. I see her look back at me with sadness in her eyes before she closes the door behind her.

We sit in silence for a moment before Sulpicia is looking at me with that damn knowing smile again. "Jane's out of listening distance, and so is everybody else. With that being said I know why you so adamantly refused to allow her to take off your pants and help you." I feel my breath catch. How could she possibly know?

"I… ummmm… I don't know what you're talking about… " I stumble out as I avoid looking at her.

"Isabella, we both know that's a lie. Are you afraid of Jane finding out?" She asks even though she clearly already knows the answer.

"She'd hate me if she knew." I sigh as I rest my hands in my lap. I try to ignore the pain in my wrist, but now that Jane's mentioned it, it's becoming more difficult to support the weight of my hand alone.

"I realize you don't know her, but maybe you should give her some credit. She really does care about you, Isabella." Sulpicia says as she looks through the bag of supplies that Alec brought. I see her take out an ace bandage.

"Why should I give her credit? Because she saved my life? If she bothered to inform you I asked her to let me die, but she didn't." I huff as I avoid looking at Sulpicia.

"She has her reasons as to why she couldn't allow that to happen." Sulpicia says as she appears by my side. She gently takes my wrist in her hand and begins to gently wrap it with the ace bandage. I don't try to move away from her because her presence is also comforting, but at the same time a different kind of comfort than Jane.

I swear since I got here I've been nothing but confused both mentally and emotionally. I really wish I could just take a nap. Maybe I'll wake up and this will have all been a rather elaborate dream? Or maybe I really have died, and this is some strange form of heaven? I look down at my leg and quickly rethink that last one.

"So….why are you trying to help me? Are you Jane's mate or something?" I cringe mentally because I really didn't mean to ask that, but at the same time for some reason I really want to know.

"No, Isabella I am most certainly not Jane's mate. I do have a mate though. You are welcome to meet him at a later date. Though I should warn you he is one of the Kings here so he might seem a bit boisterous to you." My eyes widen, if she's mated to a King doesn't that make her a Queen?

I vaguely remember Edward mentioned that the Volturi was vampire royalty, but I don't really know anything else. He wasn't very forthcoming with information. Of course in hindsight, neither was I really.

"Wait, so that makes you a Queen, right? Why in the hell are you taking care of me if you're a Queen?" I didn't quite mean for it to come out sounding so rude, but I'll chalk it up to being shocked.

"From the way you keep looking at me I'd have thought you'd have figured it out at least a little bit by now." She says with a soft smile.

"What does that mean?" Once again I'm met with a knowing smile that's honestly starting to irritate the living hell out of me.

"You keep looking at me like you know me. Or more like you know my face." My eyes narrow. How in the hell does she know that? Can she read my mind? Edward couldn't even do that. I feel my chest tighten the more I think about him.

"Let's say that's true. Where would I possibly know you from? I've never been to Italy and I doubt you've ever been to Phoenix or Forks while I was there. So where could I have ever seen you?" I say starting to feel very guarded.

"You look a lot like your grandmother, Isabella. When she was young and had your mother she looked a lot like her grandmother. Women have always had more dominant genes in our family." I see her look at me nervously as she finishes wrapping my wrist. I don't get what she's trying to imply. "Let me ask you this. Do you know why your mother named you, Isabella?"

I nod slowly. "It's a traditional family name. My grandma told me that we kept the name in the family in honor of our ancestor Isabella whose mother went missing when she was young. That's also where I got my middle name. In honor of her mother… " I trail off at the end as I finally connect the dots…

"What's your middle name, Isabella?" She asks softly giving me that damn knowing smile that makes so much sense now.

"Sulpicia… " I whisper in disbelief.

 **Yes, I know that's not actually Bella's middle name, but I thought it went well with the story. Besides Marie is such a popular middle name and I like changing things up. No offense to anybody whose middle name is Marie. It's a pretty middle name, but in the South, especially where I currently live, it's so damn common. Anyway feel free to drop a comment letting me know what y'all think.**


	6. Bathtime

**So I still don't own Twilight which is okay because I'm way too indecisive to even choose who I would want the main relationship to me. Honestly I don't even have a OTP in Twilight because y'all know I'm trying to pair Bella with every damn body I can think of that brings me amusement. I'm trying to decide who should be next? Maybe Leah so I can get the majority of the underappreciated pairings. Or maybe Kate or Irina? Kate and Irina? Wait losing focus again dammit! I really need to stop doing that. Anyway on with the story!**

 **Side Note:** I started graduate school like 2 weeks ago so updates might be few and far between. I'm still going to try and update somewhat regularly though, but I have a lot of long papers to write. Also, I live in the part of Texas that was recently hit by Hurricane Harvey so I'm also dealing with disaster relief. Luckily my house didn't flood so overall I'm okay, but I do have friends whose houses did so I'll be helping them with that which will take more time away from writing. I want to send a special thank you to **YurTeddyBear** , they touched base with me throughout the storm and even kind enough to offer to send over their friend who had a boat if I needed to be rescued. That was really awesome so thank you again.

 **Okay now for real! On with the story!**

 **Sulpicia's P.O.V.**

I try to remain still as I watch Isabella with baited breath as she begins to process what I've just told her. I notice that she's looking me up and down more carefully this time as though she's seeing me in a whole new light. I can tell just by the look on her face that she doesn't really know how to feel about any of this. Maybe now would be a good time to fill in some of the spaces.

"I'm technically your several times over great grandmother. I realize this is a lot of information to take in especially with the day you've just had, but I thought… " I don't get the chance to finish my thought before she's cutting me off.

"No, right now you don't get to speak to me like we're actually family and you give a damn about my well-being." Her tone is a bit harsher than I thought it would be, but at the same time I really can't be surprised by that. I don't have much time to think about it before Isabella is speaking again with the same harsh and cold tone. "Since I'm currently sitting here still breathing I feel it's safe to assume Jane and Alec's impeccable timing has something to do with you, correct?"

"I was informed of when your mother gave birth to you, if that's what you mean. I did the best I could to keep track of our family through the years, but your mother was always difficult and flighty. She never knew how to settle down for longer than a few years at a time. I was honestly surprised when I heard that she got married to a Sheriff no less." I see a look of pure hatred flash across Isabella's face at the mention of her mother.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, but it's good to know that while you were here living the life of a Queen you had some minions following me and Renee." I can feel the venom dripping from every single word she utters. I knew this would be difficult, but I must admit her tone is cutting me deeper than her words. She doesn't really even know me and yet she already hates my guts. "Did you know?" Isabella hisses as she tries to gently shift to the other side of the bed to get away from me.

"Did I know what?" I try to stand my ground as Isabella fixes me with a spine chilling glare that would fill even the oldest vampires with a level of uneasiness.

"Did you know that she used to beat me damn near every single day because of my little secret? My life was a living hell every fucking day, but yeah you were keeping tabs on us, right? So surely you knew about that, right?" I couldn't fight the venom that began to well up in my eyes as I shake my head. I honestly had no clue until recently.

"I swear to you, Isabella, I had no clue. If I had known I would have sent somebody to retrieve you sooner." I can tell that she doesn't believe me.

"Why? So you could get your shots in too?" I feel my chest tighten when she just scoffs at me as she continues to move further away from me. I knew this wouldn't go well, but I did think it would go slightly better than this.

"No, I had no clue that Renee treated you so horribly. Please believe me, Isabella. For a while I forgot about you and Renee… " I trail off as I realize how terrible that sentence sounds, and just at a glance I can tell Isabella heard it. A soft bitter smile settles on her face as she looks up at the ceiling. I try to backtrack, but I realize it's already too late.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that you forgot about me too? You're just like everybody else. Either you hate my existence or your completely forget about it." I'm honestly at a lost for what to say. From what little I was told I know Isabella has had a hard life, but I'm afraid nothing I can imagine would actually do it justice.

"I'm so sorry, Isabella." I whisper softly. At this point in time, words have managed to completely escape me as I look at Isabella in shock as she releases a gut wrenching laugh that concerns me.

"No offense, but your weak apology really doesn't mean a damn thing to me. It will never be able to make up for the countless bruises, split lips, and broken bones I've had to endure at the hands of Renee. Her favorite form of punishment was pushing me down the stairs. Maximum damage with minimal effort. Plus it made the lie easier to remember. Your apology really doesn't mean a damn thing to me when I can't even close my eyes to go to sleep at night without medication so I don't keep dreaming about Renee coming into my room to beat me just because she can." I thought I would be prepared for whatever Isabella threw at me, but I can see that I'm not. A strangled sob escapes my throat as I look her in the eyes and see years of brooding disdain and pain etched across her face.

"Where was Charlie? I thought he was so good for your mother. Why didn't he protect you?" All I get is another bitter scoff as I see tears start to stream down her face.

"He never stopped her and then after a while she got tired of his weakness. So she decided to divorce him, and for reasons unknown she left and took me with her. Once again he did absolutely nothing to stop her." I should have done a better job of keeping track of her. Better yet why wasn't I informed of this sooner? Surely the tracker would have known about Isabella's abuse.

"Isabella, I'm so sorry. You never deserved any of that." Finally she looks me in the eyes and I can see the uncertainty she feels at my words.

"You know I used to believe that, but then over time I started believing that maybe I did. If only I had been born normal then maybe just maybe Renee would have actually loved me. Maybe Charlie would have tried to fight for me. Maybe my own mate wouldn't have tried to kill me." Wait what did she just say?

"I'm sorry what? Did you just say your mate tried to kill you?" Oh please tell me that idiot Cullen didn't do what I think he did.

"Edward," she sighs softly as more tears begin to fall. I see a deep sadness in her eyes that only confirm my worst fear. I'm going to make sure Jane kills that boy nice and slow because he's most certainly earned it after today. Actually not only is he going to die, but I'm going to kill that whole fucking family for what they have done to Isabella.

I'm at a loss at how to handle this situation right now. Jane was very adamant about not telling Isabella about their mating bond, but I have a new understanding as to why that was the right decision to make. I doubt at this point in time Isabella would even be willing to believe her at this point, but surely even with a little vampire venom in her system she will feel their bond eventually. We'll just have to wait and see for now.

I look down and see Isabella starting to favor her left wrist. I look through the bag of medical supplies Alec brought and find a bandage to wrap her wrist with. I know she's reluctant to accept my help, but right now she really doesn't have a choice.

With the bandage in hand I slowly walk over to the other side of the bed. I can see she wants to move away, but when she looks down at my hand and see the bandage she holds still. Thankfully she assists me by holding her wrist out so it doesn't take long to secure it.

I take a few steps back after I'm finished to give her some space. "I realize I don't have the right to ask this of you Isabella, but could you possibly do me a favor?" I see her look at me curiously before her eyes darken slightly.

"You're right you don't have the right to ask me to do anything for you, but since you were kind enough to wrap my wrist I'm willing to listen." I can see it's going to take nothing short of a miracle to gain her trust.

"I would like for you try to and give us the chance to prove that we are nothing like your parents or the Cullen's. I realize I'm asking a lot of you, but the fact that I'm still standing here knowing what I know about you should mean something, right?" Whether she agrees or not she has to admit I make a very valid point.

"Who exactly are you including when you say us?" I somehow knew she would choose to focus on that particular choice of wording.

"Well contrary to popular belief the Volturi is a bit like a family. More specifically the Kings and Queens are rather close to the Elite Guard, but it might be a bit too soon to talk about all of that. Maybe just for now you could getting used to just me and Jane." I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much when I see her nodding her head slowly.

"Before I agree to anything I have to ask. Does Jane have a mate or something? The last thing I want or need is another vampire getting upset with me." I resist the urge to smile when I see a faint blush work its way up Isabella's neck.

"Jane isn't currently in a relationship of any kind so you're more than welcome to steal all of her time if you please." I see a relieved smile cross Isabella's face that leads me to believe that maybe Jane does have a chance. She will just need to tread carefully.

"Oh ummm…..okay. Cool. It's a shame though. Jane is far too beautiful and kind to be alone." I can tell that she's starting to feel awkward so I decide not to comment and possibly make it worse. Though I will be sure to inform Jane of what Isabella thinks about her. I'm positive they will make a rather cute couple.

I decide to give her a break as I see her blush starting to darken to a possibly unhealthy shade of red. "Would you be willing to let me help you bathe?" I see her eyes widen. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy so I decide to have a little fun. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm easily almost 800 years old." She looks at me confused.

"Ummmm…..okay?" She says with a look of uncertainty. I can see she has no clue where I'm going with this.

"That means I've seen quite a few penises in my time so what's one more." A cheeky smile crosses my face as a furious blush appears on hers. I see her imitate a fish for a few moments, trying to figure out how to respond.

"I still don't want your help." Isabella whispers softly as she looks down at her lap. I have to resist the urge to groan at how unbelievably stubborn she is, but really I shouldn't be surprised. I've been told a time or two that I'm more stubborn than a bull.

"Isabella, bathing on your own isn't an option. You will only manage to hurt yourself further and I refuse to allow that to happen. So you will either accept my help willingly or against your will. I would rather not have to go with the latter, but I will use the tough love method if that's all you will respond too." She releases a dark chuckle as she looks up at me again.

"Wow we really are family because Renee used to say that to me all the time before I took another tumble down the stairs." I feel my eyes darken when she compares me to that sorry excuse of, not only a woman, but also of a mother.

"You would be wise to remember that I am nothing like that woman, Isabella. Whether you believe me or not I honestly do only have your best interest at heart, but if you are willing to work with me I am willing to compromise." I watch as she arches her eyebrow with skepticism, but I can see that she's willing to hear me out.

"Well test and see what you can and can't reach. Whatever you can't reach I will clean for you without you trying to complain. Deal?" I watch as she hesitates for a few moments before reluctantly agreeing. "Try lifting your arms for me. I want to see how high they can go."

She slowly tries to reach up but only makes it barely past her ear before her ribs began to protest violently. She hisses as her arms drop back down. She takes several deep breaths before she tries again. Once again she doesn't make it very far before her ribs protest her movements.

"Let's not try that again, okay? See how far down your legs you can reach because I doubt you'll be able to reach your back, so I'll be washing that and your hair." She nods silently as she takes another set of deep breaths before she tries reach down her leg. She's makes it to just past her knees before her ribs revolt.

"I still don't want to accept your help, but it looks like I will need it for certain areas." Isabella says reluctantly, honoring our deal from earlier.

"I'm going to reheat the bath water and then I'll come back to get you." She doesn't even give me a verbal response. All she can do is nod her head as she tries to avoid looking at me once again.

I realize it was mean of me to practically force her, but it ultimately had to be done. I don't like watching Isabella be in so much pain, especially since she reminds me so much of my own Isabella. I never had the chance to truly bond with my daughter, but even though the times have changed I'm hopefully that I will have that chance now.

It doesn't take long before the water is ready for her once again. I walk back into the room and see Isabella looking around like she's trying to escape.

"Honestly if I didn't know better I would think that you just hate being clean." I say with mirth as she looks at me like a child who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"It's not… you don't… I'm just… " She's really struggling to find the right words. I know I'm asking a lot of her right now, but it's for her own good, whether she's willing to admit it right now or not.

"Isabella, we made an agreement and you know as well as I that you need help. I'm just trying to provide you with that help. It's either going to be me or Jane, take your pick." I hear her release a groan as she finally concedes defeat.

"I'm not used to being helped, okay? Usually I just take care of myself, bruises and all." She says with a sad shrug.

"Well from now on you will not have to take care of everything on your own, whether you choose to stay here in the end or not. I can promise you that." I can see that she doesn't believe me, but honestly time will prove her wrong. Jane and I will personally make sure of that.

"No offense, but don't make promises you can't keep. I've been made that promise before and it just recently blew up in my face." I wish she wasn't so jaded by life. She's too young to have already given up on faith in everything.

"Alas this is one promise that I can and will keep, but let's not worry about that right now. Let's get you washed up and back in bed. I'm sure Jane is quickly starting to lose patience with me." I bite the inside of my cheek trying to prevent from slipping up even more. This is clearly going to be harder than I thought.

"Why would she be impatient with you? Does she want you to hurry up so I can move to another room?" I swear she jumps to conclusions way too fast.

"Oh no it's nothing like that, Isabella. If anything I think Jane would prefer if you continue to stay in her room. She is just very protective of you is all." I really hope she doesn't ask any more questions because I'm not sure how long I can keep this secret if she continues.

Thankfully she doesn't say anything else, so I take that as a sign that our conversation is over for now. "Bath time," I say softly as I walk over to the bed and gently scoop her into my arms. I feel her muscles tense for a few moments while I carry her into the bathroom.

"Do you really have to help me?" She says trying one last time to get out of this. I can't blame her for trying. I'm sure after the day she's had she's feeling vulnerable and this isn't helping her feel much better about her situation.

"Yes, I don't want you hurting yourself further or agitating your existing injuries. The sooner you stop complaining and cooperate, the sooner we can get this over with. I'm sure you're tired." I notice her head is resting heavily on my shoulder. I can tell those pain pills are really starting to kick in now.

"Fine, but could you please not say anything about my… you know?" She asks as she lethargically gestures towards her crotch.

"I'll be sure to keep any and all comments to myself." I say as I set her down on the side of the tub. "Are you ready?"

"No, but I don't really have much of a choice, now do I?" I try to give her a reassuring smile as I gently start to help her undress. We hit a bit of a rough patch when it's time to take off her pants and underwear, but thankfully the water is still warm by the time I get her in the tub.

"How about I wash your hair while you start on washing everything that we agreed upon?" That seems to help her relax some. I hand her a lathered washcloth so she can start her part while I start on mine.

It doesn't even take a full 10 minutes before we're both done with our parts. "Okay, now I'm going to wash the places you can't reach." I announce trying to make her feel ever a little bit more comfortable, but I realize it did nothing to help her.

I re-lather the cloth as I quickly but gently wash all the spots she's unable to reach herself. As I finish I reach over and hand her a towel to cover herself as I gently lift her out of the tub and set her down on the edge.

As I'm draining the tub I look up and see Isabella still just sitting on the edge, gripping the towel tightly to her chest. "What's wrong, Isabella?" I ask as I sit down on the edge of her tub next to her.

She continues to stare off into space for a few moments before she finally looks over at me. I've been alive for many centuries and I couldn't even begin to describe all of the emotions I see present in her eyes right now. "It's nothing," she says trying to brush my concern off.

"Isabella, if there's something bothering you then please tell me. I only wish to help you." I allow my hopes to get up for split second when it looks like she might crack, but, of course, she doesn't. She's had many years to harden and blatantly distrust anybody and everybody regardless of whether they care about her or not. Unfortunately it seems that not many have actually cared about her.

"Do you have any clothes for me to wear?" Isabella asks completely ignoring what I've said. I can't say I didn't see that coming because I did, but still it kind of hurts that she's so adamant about not talking to me about anything. This does nothing but make my hatred for her mother and those damned Cullen's grow stronger.

Almost as if it was planned I hear a soft knock on the bedroom door. "Enter," I say as I move to stand in front of Isabella, blocking her from view.

"Heidi was able to locate some clothes that would fit Bella. She's too tall to fit into mine comfortably." I hear Jane's voice as she cracks the door open wide enough to stick the clothes through for me.

I look back and make sure Isabella is covered by the towel before I move into the bedroom to grab the clothes. "Thank you Jane, your timing is absolutely perfect." I say as I take the clothes from her.

"Is she okay?" Jane whispers with concern. I feel bad for Jane because she's currently in and impossible situation. She wants to be there for her mate, but at the same time she knows she can't be.

"I don't really know how to answer that right now. She was extremely reluctant to accept my help, but I can tell that medication is starting to kick in so I believe her getting some sleep with help." I say quickly as I head back into the bathroom with the clothes.

I go back into the bathroom being sure to close the door behind me. I notice that Isabella has taken the time to dry off while I was talking with Jane, so thankfully all that was left was to help her get dressed and back in bed.

The clothes are a little bit big on her, but I'll send one of our human workers to buy her some more clothes and under garments while she rests. I want her to stay here to be as comfortable as possible.

As I'm setting Isabella down on the bed, she gives me another curious look before she voices her thoughts. "So what am I supposed to call you?" Isabella asks as I tuck her into bed, ignoring Jane's confused look for the time being. Once Isabella's asleep I will explain what has transpired since she left. "I feel like calling you grandma would be a bit weird. You certainly don't look like a grandma." I chuckle softly as I nod in agreement.

"You may call me Sulpicia, Isabella, or whatever you're comfortable with." I smile when Isabella sighs softly as snuggles further underneath the blankets. She looks as though she hasn't been able to get a good night's sleep for a while.

"Okay, thank you." She says softly as she starts to drift off to sleep. I stand there for a few moments just watching her. I look away for a moment and see Jane looking at her as well. I can see that Jane is fighting every urge within her to climb into the bed with Isabella and hold her.

"Sulpicia," Isabella sighed softly just barely hanging on to consciousness. I sit down on the edge of the bed so she knows I'm still here.

"Yes," I whisper softly trying not to ruin the quiet atmosphere.

"I'll think about that favor you asked me, but I make no promises." She says just as softly as she finally falls asleep.

I wait a few moments before I stand up and turn to face Jane. "I had to tell her about her lineage ahead of schedule. It was the only way to get her in that bath. She's very stubborn. If I didn't think we were family before then after that display I know for a fact we are kin." I say with a smile before she has the chance to ask.

"Well she seems to have handled it better than you expected." I chuckle softly as I shake my head.

"Oh no, don't allow that moment to fool you. She's still very upset with me, but the pain medication has kicked in. I'm sure once she's had more time to process everything I'll be dealing with the brunt of her anger." I sigh as I look through the bag of supplies again, this time for something to temporarily hold her leg in place.

"Honestly, I would be more surprised if she wasn't angry. I can completely understand where she's coming from though." Jane says as she looks at Isabella with a forlorn gaze. I know Jane is still sometimes haunted by her past even though she might not remember all of it.

I find a splint that will hold her leg in place for the time being. We will need to find a doctor that can come in to give her a real checkup, but for now this will have to do. "Could you hold her leg still while I put this on?" I ask Jane as I rip the packaging off of the splint.

With our speed it only takes us a few moments to have Isabella's leg in a splint and back underneath the covers so she can now rest peacefully without us bothering her.

"Jane, I hate to tell you this, but you only being Isabella's friend for right now is a good idea." I sigh sadly when she looks at me confused.

"Why do you hate to tell me that? Has something happened?" Jane asks almost frantically as she looks between me and Isabella.

"That stupid Cullen has lead Isabella to believe that she is his mate." I sigh as I look down at Isabella resting soundly. I finally look at Jane and see hurt flash across her face before it's quickly being replaced by pure unadulterated rage.

I watch as she begins to shake slightly with the intense anger she feels. "I can't wait until I get my hands on him. I'll make him experience unimaginable pain" She says through her teeth as a harsh growl rips its way out of her throat.

"Believe me when I say that I can't wait to get him here so we can make his life a living hell, but don't forget that our revenge will have to wait for now." I look towards the bed when I hear Isabella release a soft whimper. "For now you are to stay with Isabella. Until further notice I'm removing you from guard duty. Isabella will need you more than we will for the time being."

Jane only nods silently as she slowly moves to the other side of the bed. I watch happily as Jane finally stops resisting and settles on the bed close to Isabella. She gently runs the back of her hand along Isabella's cheek, effectively silencing her for now.

I watch them for a few moments before I take my leave. As the door closes behind me the smile slides from my face as I start walking down the hallway to begin my crusade. First order of business, find that bastard who was supposed to be looking out for my family.

 **So this is where I begin to incorporate the other members of the Volturi guard. I'll admit now that I will be cutting out some of the minor members of the Elite guard that while their powers of useful they personally won't add anything to the story. I might name drop them sometimes, but I'm not really going to focus on them that much. Feel free to let me know what y'all think.**


	7. Finally Trying

**So I don't own Twilight because we all know that if I did it would certainly be way more gay than it was. Let us not even get started on how different New Moon would have been because bet money it wouldn't have even been a thing. I think Edward would have made a good gay best friend though, but it's so much fun making him the bad guy. Maybe in another story at another time, but for this one nope! Anyway on with the story!**

 **Side Note:** I want to give a special thank you to **Kage and Imouto** for helping me with the idea for this chapter. For all the people waiting for a Bella and Jane chapter this is it!

 **Bella's P.O.V.**

I've been in Volterra for a couple of days now, and so far I've only managed to begin my slow descent into insanity. I've been confined to this bed in a room that isn't even mine, but on the bright side I've been sleeping better than I have in a while. I originally thought it was because of the medication, but every morning when I wake up I can smell Jane's distinct scent still clinging to my clothes. I've just chalked it up to me missing the cold touch of a vampire, especially since the only vampires I interact with on a daily basis is either Jane or my great grandmother? I keep having mixed feelings for both of them because I'm not sure how to feel about them. God my life is just one weird turn after another...

I'm abandoned by one vampire family and also killed, just to be rescued in the nick of time, just to be essentially kidnapped by the royal vampire family. In what world does this happen? This is just one of the millions of questions I've managed to create in my time lying here.

I just wish they would let me do something or give me something to do instead of just lying here "resting". I hate not being able to do anything for myself, especially since I've spent most of my life doing that. It feels so foreign and almost too good to be true. It's most certainly too good to last. One way or another something is going to happen and all of this is going to end. History is always bound to repeat itself.

Every time I'm forced to interact either of them, I'm somewhat at peace, but the second they leave there's a constant pain that radiates within my chest that is almost impossible to bear. Even though Sulpicia's presence is admittedly helpful she also makes me so angry. Whenever she helps me she's gentle and loving and everything that Renee wasn't…

Jane is the same way, but she evokes different emotions within me that are becoming difficult to constantly ignore. At first I thought it was because it was her venom that saved my life, but since I have nothing but time to think it might not be.

See this is why I shouldn't be left to my thoughts. They just tend to spiral more and more, and I'm not really sure I like where mine are headed right now. Jane is always trying to get me to talk or engage with her, but she doesn't understand that I'm mentally not in the right place to make friends.

Even now I can feel her eyes burning a hole into the side of my head from her spot on the couch. That's her way of trying to give me space without leaving me too exposed in a castle full of vampires. Since I woke up while I was transforming she and Sulpicia are constantly worrying over me, which I must admit is kind of a nice feeling. It's almost like they care, but I can't trust that it will last long. It never does…

Although the fact that going in, Sulpicia already knew my secret, makes me feel conflicted. On the one hand she makes me feel better, but on the other she could turn on me at any given time. She might not think I'm a freak, but soon she'll figure out that I'm just as useless and worthless as Renee and Edward said.

I keep thinking about my bath last night though. Something Sulpicia said stuck with me and for the life of me I can't figure out why.

 _Flashback_

 _I was sitting in the bath trying to cover as much of myself as I can as usual. Whether she knows about my appendage or not, it doesn't mean it needs to be on display all the time for her to see and potentially judge._

 _We were in a semi comfortable silence when out of nowhere Sulpicia blindsides me. "I think you should try talking to Jane. She really is a nice girl when you get to know her, and I'm sure she's trying to get to know you as well." I can tell that Sulpicia is trying to be casual, but the way she said it puts me on edge._

" _No offense, but she can be as nice as she wants to be, that doesn't mean I have to talk to her." I say with more bite in my tone than necessary._

" _Are you so against talking to her because of the Cullen's?" This woman really doesn't beat around the bush. Somehow I already knew that though. She really does remind me so much of my grandma, she was very outspoken and straightforward as well._

" _They've reinforced my will to never trust anybody. I thought they cared and they proved they didn't give a damn about me. I'm sure once Jane fulfills whatever obligation she feels towards me she will change too. They always do." I hang my head trying to hide the fact that I can feel tears beginning to sting my eyes._

" _I do apologize if this question seems a bit personal, but why are you so unwilling to at least give her a chance?" Somehow I don't believe she's actually sorry for asking that._

" _I can't trust her. Even if I allowed myself to get close it would fall apart eventually. I'm just destined to be unloved and alone." I feel my muscles tense when Sulpicia releases an angry growl behind me._

" _That's not true. I know I wasn't there for you and I should have been. I know your mother was horrible and your father never fought for you, but don't you dare claim that you are unloved. I love you more than words could even describe, and I know somebody else who loves you too." I can see that I've upset her which I never intended to do. I look back and see that her eyes are completely black and an angry frown has settled on her face._

 _A tense awkward silence settles between us as she finished washing the places I can't reach. As she helps me get dressed after draining the tub, I feel like I need to say something to break up this tension._

" _I'm sorry," I whisper softly knowing she can hear me loud and clear. "I honestly didn't mean to upset you." She ignores me until she finished cleaning up the bathroom and has me settled back into bed safely._

" _I realize you've been through a lot. You have trust issues and abandonment issues and I don't fault you for any of that. What I do fault you for is that Jane and I have been nothing but helpful and yet you still feel the need to group us together with the Cullen's. Not only is that hurtful, but it's also insulting that you would belittle us in such a manner. Unlike those sorry excuses for vampires we don't abandon the people we call family. I realize I made a mistake when you were born, but that's what it was, a mistake. I'm trying my best to fix it, but you aren't even trying to meet me halfway." Sulpicia releases a sad sigh as she leans down to gently kiss my forehead before she starts heading towards the door._

 _I open and close my mouth a few times trying to think of something appropriate to say, but nothing comes out. I hear Sulpicia release another deep sigh as though she was waiting for me to say something. As she opens the door Sulpicia turns to addresses me one last time._

" _I know you've always been alone, but that doesn't mean you have to stay that way." Sulpicia says as she turns around to leave, being sure to close the door behind her without giving me a chance to say anything. Honestly I don't even know what I would say that._

 _End Flashback_

I've been thinking about that nonstop since yesterday, and I don't really know how to feel about that. I think she might have a point, but I don't know where to even start with trusting them. I'm just so used to being let down. I tried so hard to let the Cullen's in and they turned around and threw it in my face the first chance they got… .but in my heart I would like to believe not all of them were like that…

I must admit Sulpicia did make a valueble point. She and Jane aren't anything like the Cullen's. Even when Edward and I were doing good before he found out about my secret, there was always a thinly veiled level of hostility within the family. I don't really know how to describe it. I could have just been my imagination, but it always seemed like the Cullen's more tolerated each other than anything else.

I shake my head slowly as I try to clear my head of the Cullen's. I realize I won't ever be able to give Sulpicia or Jane an honest chance if I constantly compare them. As much as I hate to admit this, Sulpicia was right. She and Jane don't deserve to be grouped with the Cullen's, but honestly that's easier said than done at this point.

Though that does bring me back to wondering who Sulpicia was referring to when she said that somebody else here loves me. Was she referring to Jane? Do I even want her to be referring to Jane?

I glance over to the couch again and see Jane, still sitting there, staring at me with a level of intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. I wouldn't be able to describe in words the exact look she's giving me, but deep down I know I never want her to stop. Why do I always feel that way when it comes to Jane? I never even felt that way about Edward, and he used to stare at me all the time.

Our eyes lock and I feel such a deep seeded need to talk to Jane. Something about her eyes just makes me want to trust her and tell her all of my secrets, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. It's not only that though. I also feel as though I want to learn everything there is to know about her as well. I can't even say with certainty that I even felt that way about Edward, but why is that?

I look down at my hands when I feel my heart clench painfully. Just thinking about him still causes me so much pain. He took so much from me, and filled my heart with so much hope just to rip it out and stomp on it. I sigh softly when a few unwanted tears begin to cascade down my face. I try to wipe them away before Jane can see, but of course I was too slow for her enhanced vampire senses.

Before I have time to fully comprehend what's happening Jane is sitting on the bed in front of me with a box of tissues. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do I need to call the doctor?" Jane asks me softly, and I can see her resisting the urge to touch me.

"Jane, calm down, I'm fine, just having unpleasant thoughts." I say softly as I attempt to brush off her concern. I can see she wants to ask me more, but ultimately decides to leave it alone for now.

I watch as she shifts uncomfortably and starts to look around the room, not quite knowing what to do now that she knows I'm okay. "Are you really going to sit there and awkwardly avoid looking at me?" I don't really take Jane for the type to act awkward around anybody.

"Would you rather I go back to the couch and watch you constantly sigh for the rest of the day?" Jane fires back when a playful smirk that oddly makes me experience a tingling sensation across my whole body.

I give her a challenging look before I decide to put my attitude aside for the moment. I look at Jane thoughtfully and honestly it feels as though this is the first moment I've truly bothered to look at her. She has radiant golden hair that she constantly keeps in a tight bun. The only time I've ever seen it outside of her classic bun was during the first time I woke up and she was coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower. I shake my head slowly to get my thoughts back on track before I end up disappearing down the rabbit hole, thinking about Jane in only a towel.

I study her profile as she continues to look away from me. Of course she's unnaturally beautiful just like all vampires, but if I'm being honest with myself I believe Jane is far more beautiful than Rosalie ever was. Jane is more of a youthful beauty with strong cheekbones and she usually has a slight smirk on her face like she knows something, but won't share her knowledge.

"Jane, look at me for a moment." I say softly, catching myself off guard. I honestly never planned to say that out loud. I can't really complain about my verbal slip when my eyes connect with Jane's blood red orbs, eyes that should invoke fear within me because she could technically kill me at any given time. Except when I look into Jane's eyes I don't feel fear. I feel what I can only assume the feeling of finally being safe would feel like. Why is that?

I lick my suddenly dry lips as I continue to stare into Jane's eyes, silently asking myself more and more questions that I can't even begin to answer. "Why do you care about me? When you thought I was hurt you reacted so quickly. Why?" I ask softly as I rest against the headboard heavily.

"Anima mea," Jane whispers equally soft as she continues to stare at me. I feel like I should break this intense staring contest, but for some reason I just can't.

"What does that mean?" I ask as I feel my heartbeat begin to speed up. In my head I try to think of what that could possibly mean, but I come up blank. I've never heard the words anima mea before.

"It means that like Sulpicia, I too share a connection with you, but ours isn't a familial bond. Our bond is different. Basically it means that no matter what happens or what you might believe I will never hurt you. I will always care about you even when you believe I don't or shouldn't." The seriousness in Jane's tone leaves me breathless as she says all of this without breaking eye contact or wavering once.

It takes a moment for me to finally find my voice. "Does this kind of bond happen often? Have you ever felt it before?" I ask both questions still trying to catch my breath. I'm really going to need her to stop looking at me like that if I she plans for me to participate in this conversation.

"This kind of bond doesn't happen very often and I've never shared it with anybody else. You are the first." Once again I can see the raw honesty in Jane's eyes that leaves me completely speechless.

"I… ummmm… I'm not really sure… what?" Clearly I've lost the ability to even form a coherent sentence. To say I'm caught completely off guard would honestly be the understatement of the century at this point.

"Are you saying what because you require further explanation or because you are trying to process what I have just said?" Jane asks thoughtfully as she continues our staring contest with a soft smirk on her face.

"Processing," I say as I'm finally able to pry my eyes away from her long enough to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. That might not have been the best idea with her sitting so close to me. Since my sense of smell is a bit better than before I got lungs full of Jane's intoxicating perfume that does little to help me focus.

"Why didn't you tell me about this bond sooner?" I ask with my eyes closed trying my best to keep the edge out of my tone. I don't feel like she deserves my hostility, especially when I can feel the honesty in her words.

"I didn't really ever plan on telling you because you have been dealing with so much. Plus I can see you're struggling with the bond you share with Sulpicia. I didn't want to make it worse by adding more on you. I'm only telling you now because you keep asking, and you wouldn't accept any of my previous answers." Jane says simply. I enjoy the fact that she doesn't try to stall for time or attempt to tell me what she believes I want to hear.

"Is that why you offered to be my friend?" I ask, still trying to fully comprehend what she's told me. It's like I've been sleep for the past week and I'm finally waking up.

"Partly yes, that was my way of trying to come off as normal. I didn't think you would appreciate me coming off as over hostile towards people who attempted to get to close to you. You might not have noticed, but I feel extremely protective of you, that's one reason Sulpicia has released me from royal guard duty. I'm unofficially assigned to be your own personal guard." I open my eyes and see Jane smiling at me shyly as though she's waiting for me to say something.

"So all this time you've been genuinely trying to be my friend, and I've been nothing but an asshole to you since day one. I'm sorry," I say as I hang my head truly feeling ashamed of my behavior.

"Please don't apologize. I completely understand why you would be suspicious of me and my intentions, and I know that won't change overnight. Even though you know about the bond, I still suspect that you will question my intentions and motives frequently." I can only nod silently because what she said is right. While knowing about the bond does put me a bit at ease, it still doesn't change the fact that I don't know if I can trust her.

I sit in silence for a while just staring at her thoughtfully when I remember that she told me a little bit about her life and I completely brushed her off as though it was nothing. Oh this is fantastic. I've gone from being an asshole to being a straight up bitch. I sigh deeply as I rub my hands across my face in frustration.

"Is something bothering you, Bella? You know you can talk to me right?" I nod silently as I rest my head against the headboard and stare at the ceiling for a change. I'm not really sure if I should take her up on her offer or not.

"Surprisingly I do know that. I just have a lot on my mind and I keep managing to run myself in circles. Also I realize that not only am I an asshole, but I'm also a bitch. You were trying to reach out and connect by telling me a bit about your past and I pretty much completely dismissed you. I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that." I look at Jane and see a haunting sadness in her eyes that sends a shiver down my spine for a completely different reason.

"I can't really say it's okay because I'm very guarded when it comes to my past, but at the same time I can't hold you completely at fault. I probably came onto the whole friendship thing too strong. Would it be possible to start over?" Jane asks completely catching me off guard.

"I would really like that actually." I say with a soft smile. I pat the spot next to me gently. "Come sit next to me. If we're going to be friends I'm going to need to get used to you being close to me while I'm awake." I watch her eyes widen in shock.

"I don't know… " I cut her off before she can even fully prepare to tell me that lie. I don't want her to feel like she has to lie to spare me.

"Please don't lie to me, Jane. I would like to get this friendship started off on the right foot and that's not the way to go. I know you've been keeping me company at night because I've been able to sleep, and even drug induced sleep doesn't keep the nightmares away. Since you're usually the only one in here while I sleep I feel like it's a safe assumption. Plus your scent lingers after I wake up. Your perfume is very distinctive." All she can do is nod silently as she stands up and walks over to the other side of the bed and climbs in. She makes sure to leave a comfortable amount of room between us.

We both sit there waiting for the other to say something, but after a few minutes I become increasing bored. "I want to thank you for being so patient with me this past week. You've been nothing but respectful given the situation and all of my oddities." I say softly as I turn to look at Jane and see that her eyes are closed. If I didn't know better I would think she was asleep since she keeps taking deep breaths exhaling slowly.

"I treat you the way you deserve to be treated, Isabella." Usually when somebody calls me Isabella I feel irritated, but it would appear that Jane is the exception to that rule, just like Sulpicia. "Did you know that you sigh a lot when something's on your mind? You've been sighing all week." She says this while still keeping her eyes closed.

"That's because I've had so many things to think about, but can't seem to find any of the answers I seek. I think it's more inner turmoil than anything, but I'd rather not talk about that right now if you don't mind." Finally she opens her eyes to look at me, and I see nothing but understanding.

"We can talk about anything you desire, Bella. Or we can just sit here in silence and just be." Jane says allowing me to decide. I honestly can't remember the last time I was allowed to make a decision for myself. Edward never… wait… no I'm not going there again.

"Why don't we play a game to get to know each other better?" I suggest trying to lighten the mood and distract myself from thinking about him.

"I am unfamiliar with any kind of games humans play nowadays. What did you have in mind?" Jane asks as she looks at me intrigued.

"It's called 20 questions. Basically we take turns asking each other questions as we get to know each other better. You are allowed to pass if the question makes you too uncomfortable." I watch as she nods slowly.

"It sounds simple enough. Would you like to start or should I?" Jane asks as she angles her body to face me more.

"You go first," I say with a shrug as I settle down lower in bed trying to get comfortable. I look up and see Jane staring at me with a soft look in her eyes that makes me smile.

"Wait before I ask this is there any specific topic I should avoid?" Jane asks being extremely thoughtful, but at the same time this makes me wonder what she's planning on asking me.

"If it's okay with you I would like to stick to lighter topics for today while I work on trusting you more, no offense." I say as I roll on my side to face her.

"No offense taken. I just appreciate the fact that you're trying. That's all I can really ask for at this point. Now first question, what's your favorite color?" I didn't see her going that route but I'll bite.

"I don't really have a specific favorite color. I like all the royal colors like sapphire, ruby, emerald, etc. Just really rich deep colors though currently my favorite is ruby." I say with a soft smile.

"It's my turn then, how old are you?" I can tell that she was turned when she was young, but I can't pinpoint exactly how old. I think it was around 12 or 13 maybe.

"I was 16 years old when I was changed back in 800 A.D." Wow, really? She's older than I thought both in the human sense and the vampire sense.

"I could have sworn you were like 12 or 13. Clearly you have really good genes." I frown when I hear Jane release a dark chuckle as she slides down in bed beside me. She sighs as she rests against the pillow heavily.

"I should have died when I was 12, but I was able to buy some more time for me and Alec." I don't quite know what she means when she says she was able to buy time, but whatever it is I know I don't like it. I really want to reach over and pull her into my arms, but I know we're not at that stage in our friendship yet.

"I meant that as a compliment. What I meant, and probably should have said, is that you are beautiful." Finally I see the soft smirk return to her face which, oddly enough, fills me with joy.

"Thank you, Bella. You are quite beautiful yourself. Now, if you have a middle name what is it?" Jane asks with a gentle smile.

"My middle name is Sulpicia." I watch Jane's eyes bulge and I can see the question in her eyes so I decide to answer before she has time to ask. "I'm sure Sulpicia has already told you that we share a blood connection. I was named after her daughter Isabella as a way to keep family tradition, but my mother decided to take it one step further and gave me the same middle name as Isabella's mother who one day mysteriously went missing never to be seen again… well until now that is." I see a look of realization cross Jane's that peaks my interest.

"That would explain why should told you so soon." Jane says more to herself as she nods in understand. I just continue to lie there staring at Jane. "Have you two talked about it anymore since that day?" She asks, forgetting that it's my turn in the game.

"It's my turn, but I'll be nice and answer. No, we haven't really talked much. I don't really know what to say to her right now so I've just decided to say nothing." Again Jane just nods in understanding. I can see she wants to ask me something else. "You can ask me whatever's on your mind after my question since it's my turn." A guilty smile graces Jane's face as she nods against the pillow.

"I'm sorry. I just find you very fascinating and desire to know as much as I can about you. Please ask away." Jane says as she moves a little bit closer. I don't know if she did that on purpose or by accident, but I've decided not to comment about it right now.

"What's your middle name?" I watch silently as Jane sits up sighing heavily.

"Honestly, I don't have a middle name. Jane isn't even the name I was given at birth. From a young age Alec and I were called so many different names like "freak" or "witch" we soon forgot what our actual names were. Jane seemed like a good name." I see her shrug as she starts to stare off into space.

"I don't think we're doing a very good job of keeping this game light." I sigh as I sit up as well. I don't really know how to make her feel better right now. I'm not well versed in comforting people, especially since I never really had too.

"I'm sorry. You will soon learn that I'm not really known for being light or friendly really. I tend to keep my distance from people for that reason." Now it's my turn to nod in understanding. While we keep our distance for different reasons, it's essentially the same thing.

"I can understand that feeling of wanting to be distant because you believe you're sparing people. I'm sure you'll try to say it's different, am I right?" Out of the corner of my eye I can see Jane nodding her head silently.

"Bella, I'm sure when you leave this room you will hear things about me and my brother. Around here we are known as the Witch Twins." Where is she going with this?

"So? I'm not really known to listen to rumors. Besides, regardless of what I might hear, I'll remember this past week. You know what, you were right. I could really use a friend and so could you clearly." I hear Jane release a dark chuckle that makes me smile as I slide back down in bed, suddenly starting to feel exhausted.

"Are you tired, Bella? Would you like to take a nap?" Jane asks as she adjusts to look at me.

"Kind of yeah, I'm suddenly really tired." I sigh as I settle into my pillow and stretching out. Jane's bed is so comfortable.

"Would it be okay if I ask you one more question before you sleep?" I nod silently as I look up at her. "Why were you so against accepting my help?" Jane asks in a tone that I can only assume to be sadness.

"I'm used to dealing with pretty much everything on my own. For the most part people usually didn't want to be bothered with me or any of my problems so I'm always reluctant when somebody offers their help." I hear Jane sigh softly at my admission.

"I realize me saying that you should never be afraid to ask for help won't suddenly change what you've been conditioned into, but I do want you to know that I will be here to help whenever you need it." All I can do is hum softly as I begin to fall asleep. I feel Jane slide out of bed, and walk around to the side I'm lying on.

I feel more than hear her lean down close to my ear. "Oh and by the way, I don't wear perfume." She whispers before I feel her presence disappear from my side as sleep finally consumes me.

 **Okay so I have changed Jane and Alec's age to 16 because 12 or 13 is kind of creepy. In this story Bella is 17 and Heidi, who is mated to Alec, was changed when she was 26. This way for me personally it feels a lot less statutory rapeish. I realize rules like that really wouldn't apply to the supernatural world, but still for my own sanity.**


	8. Author’s Note

I want to start off by thanking everybody who still reads my work, and I truly appreciate the comments you leave, even the people who never have anything nice or of value to to contribute. I realize it's been awhile since I've finished Your Trash is My Mate, but thanks to some people who were kind enough to PM me I have made a lot a few errors within that story. So I'll eventually go back to change those, but in the meantime I've drawn a complete blank as far as the sequel goes. I've been trying to focus on school since at the graduate level it seems more cutthroat, and the grading is way harsher. Every time I think I'm getting ahead my professors will throw a curveball and I feel as though I'm more behind than ever.

I don't want to say I'm giving up my writings for now especially since I have a lot of ideas for stories and one shots I still want to write. Plus there is still a requested story I have promised to write that is a Tanya/Rosalie/Bella pairing. I want to write all of that and more, but I'm currently just feeling uninspired to write anything. I have found some really great friends on this site who will help me by throwing an idea my way to at least keep my stories on my mind while I'm in my own personal form of hell. So if any of y'all have any ideas for the sequel or for any of y stories in general please feel free to PM me. Or if you have your own story ideas and you need help with those I'm all ears. If anything those might help me get out of the writing funk I've managed to fall into. I truly do enjoy hearing from all of you because some of y'all make me laugh when I read the comments you leave, and trust me I read every comment good or bad. Again I'm sorry the sequel for Your Trash is My Mate is taking so long, but I'm trying not to force the story so I can produce a quality of work I will be happy with. I know some of y'all have been waiting for me to upload something, and I'm sure when you read this it isn't going to make some of y'all happy. I just felt like I needed to let y'all know something especially after my last disappearing act when I was gone for about 3 years. I don't want to do that to y'all again, but currently I just got nothing. So if any of you have any ideas then trust me when I say I'm all ears.


	9. Sulpicia and Bella Talk

**So I still don't own Twilight, but that's okay because it makes borrowing the characters so much more interesting. I can make them as gay or as straight as I want. That's a lie if anything I only make them gay because that makes them way more entertaining. Not even for y'all but for me. It brings me joy and I feel like that's what should matter most.**

 **For those of you who are curious and constantly asking me about Bella and whether or not she's at least a half vampire all I can say to you is shush and enjoy the story. All your questions will be answered in due time, but there is an order that must be followed which means I'm not telling you. Stop trying to jump to the end of the story. You willing hopped on this rollercoaster now just enjoy the ride. I promise it will all be explained later. Now on with the story!**

 **Side Note:** I realize I've been gone for a minute and I'm sorry about that. I originally planned to sit down and write a few chapters while I was on break, but I swear if it wasn't one thing it was another. I went back to my childhood home and turns out we didn't have internet. Nobody bothered to tell me that shit ahead of time. Then when we finally did get internet my computer crashed. Then while one friend was getting married the others new husband got into a car accident and died. You would think they could make it easy for me, but no! I'm supposed to be there for both of them and they live 7 hours away! On top of that I had a kidney infection and my mom was sick. 'Twas not a Merry Christmas in my house, but we made it through thankfully! My laptop is back in working order (for now) and I should hopefully be getting another soon. So for all of y'all who have been leaving reviews, PMing me, emailing me and hitting me up on kik (if you have it). I've been listening I swear. I have a new beta and everything I'm gonna try to be on it. I'm not gonna lie though I've be working on some new stuff as well so that's been a bit of a distraction, but I'm back and I'm gonna focus as much as I can. I promise I'm not just gonna disappear again for 3+ years without telling y'all something.

Thank you to everybody whosent me PM's and giving me some ideas to work with. Also thank you to everybody who left encouraging reviews because I actually do read every single one of those. Oh and for the Guest who checks to see if I've updated this story: Every. Single. Day. I don't want to make any promises, but I'm working on more chapters now so I'll try not to go another 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day without updating at least one of my stories, but again I make no promises.

 **PS:** Thank you to my new beta, **Imouto's Mad House,** for being willing to work around my insane schedule and allowing me to bounce ideas off of you and even provide me with a few of your own.

 **Sulpicia's P.O.V.**

It's now been a little over two weeks since Isabella first graced these halls after the Cullen's left her with a painful parting gift. Due to their negligence I've been constantly dealing with feeling as though I'm taking one step forward just too accidentally say the wrong thing and take two steps back.

She's far more sensitive than I originally anticipated and picking my words is becoming more difficult with each passing day. I just feel as though I can't really do anything right in her eyes. I'll forever have to bare the fact that I left her with her mother to be abused for pretty much all of her life just to move in with a father who never actually acknowledged her presence when he didn't have too.

I realize in part I should be more upset over the fact that Isabella is taking her anger at others out on me, but at the same time she doesn't have anybody else she can take this aggression out on. She's probably been bottling up her anger up for years, and she's finally being able to vent that anger. I wish she would choose another target, but if this is what she needs from me right now that I can try to grin and bear it for a little while longer.

Whether she admits it or not she was never willing to show this side of herself to the Cullen's simply because she was too busy trying to fit into their false sense of family. All they do is cook, clean, and play house, but I doubt they ever really deal with real issues outside of the occasional bloodlust.

"Sulpicia, my love, I can practically see your thoughts turning within your head. Would you mind telling me what's bothering you?" I sigh as I rest heavily in my throne as I stare at the ceiling.

"I just don't know what to do about Isabella. It seems like every time I make even a little bit of progress she takes offense to something I say and it thrusts me all the way back to step one. Now that she no longer really needs me to help her bathe it's becoming more challenging to find excuses to go see her." I rest my head on my hand heavily leaning closer to Aro. I realize it wouldn't be very proper for me to sit in his lap, but right now I really want too.

"If you don't mind my wandering ears I must ask, why do you feel as though you need an excuse to go see her? Why not go visit her simply because you can?" Marcus asks as he leans forward in his through to look at me.

I look down and shrug not really having a valid excuse for my actions. "I don't know I just feel like if I didn't have a reason to see her Isabella would find a way to completely dismiss me." I look up and see Marcus slowly nodding his head as he continues to look at me thoughtfully.

"Sweetheart, you know that you must be patient with our dear, Isabella. You and our beloved Jane have both talked about how she has never had a reliable parental figure who has actually stuck around. Constantly pushing you away is her only defense against letting you in." Aro says trying to comfort me to the best of his ability.

"I know and I really am trying to be patient and understanding, but it just so difficult because I want to be there for her. You know how much I regret never having the chance to raise my own daughter." I sigh as I resist the urge to run my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Sulpicia, you know as well as I that it was not your fault. The fact that you managed to even keep track of your family shows just how deeply you care. The rests of us failed to do the same especially after so many wars that have taken place in our lifetime." Athenodora says ruefully which makes me realize that I wasn't the only one who never got to raise their child. I'm sure I'm coming across as being childish especially since Isabella is here safe and sound for the most part.

"I know Dora and I'm so sorry. It's just that she's only 17-years-old and she's already so jaded by life and unwilling to trust. This just isn't the life I envisioned for her." I hear Caius chuckle darkly which hits a nerve. I growl in his direction softly.

"I'm sorry I'm not laughing at you. I swear. I was laughing at what you just said. It's the most parent-esque sentence I think I've ever hear leave your mouth, Sulpicia. You know as well as anybody that you can't plan the life you wish a child to have. You have been watching your family for centuries, and every now and again they will do something you don't agree with. Why would now be any different?" I growl again more at myself than at him because as much as I hate to admit it he's right.

"I know you're right Caius, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still so angry about what Renee has done. Also, the fact that Xavier knew and never said anything infuriates at me especially because he thinks he can hide from me now." I growl in anger.

"Sulpicia, my love, please calm down. You know we are doing everything we possibly can to find him and bring him in. He has many questions to answers and nothing short of death will keep him from doing so." Aro growls softly helping me calm down a little bit. I hear a chorus of growl from Dora, Caius, and Marcus as well. I realize that I'm not the only one up in arms about what has transpired. They have all been so willing to accept Isabella in with open arms. Whether she knows it or not she is a part of our family I just need to help her realize that.

We all sit in silence for a moment as we collect our thoughts as work through whatever is going through our minds. "You know that most parents wouldn't look for an excuse to see their child, right? Many children do not know what is best for them especially while they are teenagers." Marcus says with a soft chuckle trying to lighten the mood.

"She already hates me Marcus. It feels like she blames me for everything that's happened in her life." Once again, I hear him chuckle softly.

"I don't believe she blames you for everything I think she's mostly upset over what could have been. Between Renee, Charlie and those damn Cullen's Isabella is still searching for the stability she has always craved. She might have believed she had found that within the Cullen's and well you saw how well that ended. You constantly having an excuse when you see her could possibly make it feel as though you don't want anything to do with her unless you have too." I nod slowly taking in everything Marcus has said because I never thought to look at it from that point of view.

"Thank you for the advice, Marcus. Now I think it would best if I went to go see Isabella and try to clear the air." I say as I use my vampire speed to appear outside of Jane's bedroom door. I knock softly a few times, just in case Isabella is indecent. After watching a few moments, I open to the door just to feel a bit discouraged when I see that the room is empty.

Jane must have finally gotten Isabella out of the room and taken her for a short walk. Based on what little I know about Isabella I feel as though it is safe to assume that she wouldn't want to be around too many off duty guard members. So naturally the next place I look for them would be the garden because it is beautiful and secluded. It takes a few moments of looking around the garden before I spot Jane and Isabella sitting underneath a tree both just looking up at the sky in a peaceful silence.

I stand back for a few moments and just watch them. In all the time that I've known Jane I can honestly say that I've never seen her look so relaxed. It's almost like she's been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders until she met Isabella. I really do hate to ruin their moment, but I really need to talk to Isabella because I've already wasted too much time waiting for her to finally warm up to me.

Jane continues to stare at the sky for a few moments longer before she finally decides to acknowledge my presence. As she looks over at me and nods I take that as my cue to give her a moment. "Bella," she says in a soft tone I've never heard her use not even with Alec.

"Yes, Jane," Isabella says in an equally soft tone that makes me question how much progress they've made in their relationship. Although just based on looking at her now Jane has been helping her make all the difference.

"I know that you have told me that you do not wish to discuss Sulpicia, but she's here to talk to you." I watch as the serene smile quickly slides off Isabella's face. I'll admit that does hurt, but at the same time I can't say I didn't see that reaction coming.

"She's already done her mandatory visit for the day. Why is she here again?" Isabella says as she begins to stand up, but is quickly stopped by Jane gently placing her hand on her thigh keeping her still.

"Bella, she's here because she cares about you. I realize you're still upset and I do not fault you for that, but at least here her out. I've been telling you that she was going to come talk to you eventually so you can't say you're really that surprised." I hear Isabella groan in defeat as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"I realize you're not exactly happy right now, but could you please just hear Sulpicia out? I think having a relationship would genuinely benefit the both you. Also, you know I would never suggest this if I didn't have your best interest at heart." I see Isabella begrudgingly nod and uncross her arms.

Jane looks over at me and nods and she begins to stand up. She takes her time dusting off her legs before she grabs Isabella's hand gently. "I shall leave you two alone to talk, but I will be waiting for you in our room." Jane says as she kisses the back of Isabella's hand before she takes off back towards the castle.

I chuckle softly when I see a blush working its way up Isabella neck. She looks so sweet and innocent when she's blushing like a schoolgirl with a crush. Whether Jane is willing to admit it or not, she's treating Isabella as more than just a friend.

I take this moment to sit down next to Isabella. Before she has the chance to say anything I beat her to the punch. "I realize you're still upset with me, but I would appreciate it if you heard me out before you say anything." Isabella looks at me skeptically for a moment before she nods silently.

"I realize I haven't exactly been the most present person in your life ever since you stopped needing my help bathing. I'm sorry if that came across as me not caring or as though I was forced to check on you at least once a day because that's not the case. I know you probably don't believe me, but I do love you Isabella." At that moment I pause to see if she's going to say anything, but she remains silent like I've asked.

"I've been making excuses instead of just coming to see you simply because I can. I realize now that that was wrong of me to do. I thought keeping a level of distance would give you time to adjust and heal. Even though we didn't talk that much when I would come to visit I would still check in with Jane every day for a full report on how you were actually doing." I watch as she goes from calm to upset in the blink of an eye.

"So are you why Jane has been so nice to me!? You've been using her to spy on me?" Isabella growls softly as she moves further away from me to creates more space between us.

"Actually no, Jane is being nice to you because she wants to be. You will quickly learn that Jane is never one to do something that she doesn't want to. There are people she has known for centuries and to this day she makes it her mission to strike fear in their very soul simply because she can. She's nothing like that when she's with you, Isabella." All I get in return is a silent nod as Isabella leans her head against the tree again and closes her eyes for a moment.

"Although while Jane was keeping me updated on how you were doing she was constantly calling me a coward for not asking you myself." That receives a soft chuckle as Isabella opens her eyes to look at me with amusement.

"I'm finding it hard to believe that Jane actually said that to you. I mean you are a Queen after all. I'm sure you're not really accustomed to being talked to like that, are you?" Isabella says with a bit of a bitter tone that I choose to ignore for now.

"Yes, it was a bit of a shock for me as well, but I can't exactly be upset with her especially when she was right. I should act more mature about all of this. I'm just worried I guess, because I do want you to like me, but I realize we probably got off on the wrong foot." I see Isabella is looking at me rather curiously. I'm not really sure how to feel about that until she chuckles.

"You know when you helped give me baths? That's the first time I can really remember actually feeling cared for. I can't remember the last time Renee actually tried to give a damn about me, and Charlie was always so awkward around me." In all this time I completely forget that Charlie might be wondering where Isabella has gone. Has she even asked about him? I don't remember Jane ever really bringing him up in any of our conversations.

"Isabella, in the whole time that you've been here have you ever been worried about Charlie? Surely he is worried about you and has noticed something, right?" I watch as she thinks for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm sure Charlie is a little bit worried, but not to the point where he would actually attempt to look for me. At the same time that depends on if he's even noticed I'm not there anymore." What in the hell? How could he not notice she's been missing?

"What do you mean? Surely he would know that you've been gone for a few weeks now, right?" I see her shake her head slowly with a sad smile.

"Well I mean even though we lived together I really didn't see him all that much. He made sure to stay at work longer and come home after I had already gone to bed so we wouldn't be able to spend much time together." I feel my eyes beginning to darken as I imagine Isabella being all alone all the time.

"Why would he do that? You're his only child! Surely he would want to spend as much time as he possibly could with you." Again, I see Isabella shake her head slowly.

"Honestly I think when Renee left and took me with her Charlie was relieved. He never really knew how to handle me once he noticed my abnormality. In all the time we were apart he would never come visit, but I would get one awkward phone call on my birthday." Isabella says with another shrug as though that was just normal when it's not. He is her father and he did nothing!

I see her eyes began to well with tears and at that moment I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and never let her go. She never deserved to experience such rejection from her own father from birth.

"So, you would rather him think you just up and left?" I ask trying to understand her point of view on this. The more I hear about her parents the more I release just how unfit they both were.

"Please don't get me wrong. I'm sure Charlie loves me in his own way, I guess, but it was never really in the way that I needed. I wish he and I could have had a more father daughter relationship, but we were more like roommates than anything else. He would pay all the bills, and for groceries, and I took care of everything else. I'm sure once he runs out of food he'll notice I'm missing … maybe." She says with uncertainty followed by a seemingly indifferent shrug that does nothing to mask the pain I see in her eyes.

"That is completely unacceptable!" I yell quickly losing control of my temper. Isabella abruptly flinches away from me quickly putting an end to my temper tantrum. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to let me temper get the best of me." I say softly when I see her beginning move further away from me out of fear.

"Please come here I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry that I upset you." I say as I slowly try to place my hand on her shoulder, but again she moves away from me.

"Why did you get so angry? Are you upset with me?" I look at her in confusion. Why on Earth would I ever blame her? It takes a few moments for me to realize that this probably has something to do with Renee once again.

"I would never blame you for the relationship you have with your father. Or in this case, the lack thereof is all his fault. It's a father's job to love and protect his child no matter the circumstances, and in this case Charlie has failed on both accounts." I huff in frustration as Isabella just shrugs once again attempting to seem indifferent.

"I wish you could see what I see when I look at you, Isabella." I sigh as I gently begin to run my fingers through her hair. Thankfully she doesn't flinch away from me this time.

Again, we slip into silence as I pull Isabella closer causing her to rest her head against my shoulder while I continue to run my fingers through her hair. I don't really know what else to say about all of this especially when I don't know the whole story. Though one things for sure. I've now added Charlie to my hit list, right after Renee. I growl lowly in the back of my throat.

"You're growling again," Isabella says as she wraps her arms around herself tightly. I immediately stop and release an annoyed sigh.

"Yes, well that's what vampires do when they're upset. What else am I supposed to do when I'm upset with literally every parent you've allegedly had so far. And I use the term parent very loosely." I huff in frustration when all I receive in return in a soft chuckle.

"You should be prepared to be upset often then, especially if you actually want to get to know me, because if that little bit made you mad it will only go downhill from here. I doubt there's much about me that you will actually like." At this moment I look down and glare at her because she should never say that about herself.

"How about you let me be the judge of that, okay? Also, for the sake of full disclosure so you can't say I never told you later. I fully intend of killing both Renee and Charlie." That causes Isabella to pull away from me abruptly.

"Why would you do that? They've never done anything to you." She says with genuine confusion on her face that at any other time would have been adorable.

"They have done nothing your whole life but hurt you. That counts as doing something to me in my book. They were your parents and they failed you. You might be willing to overlook that fact, but I most certainly am not." I say with finality in my voice that let's Isabella know that I will not being changing my mind.

"When I told him what Renee was like he was upset and even said he wanted to kill Renee, but I never felt like he would actually do it. I can't say the same with you." Is she referring to Edward when she says him? I'll talk to her about that at a later date.

"Well you will quickly learn that I'm not in the habit of saying things that I don't actually mean. You will also learn that I'm a rather vengeful person so I'm plotting revenge against quite a few people on your behalf. Starting with the guard who was supposed to be watching you." Isabella looks at me thoughtfully before she finally voices her thoughts.

"So, you really had no clue what was going on the whole time? They really never told you anything?" She says softly, almost sounding hopefully.

"I promise you that I never knew. If I had any inkling as to what was really going on I would have flown to Phoenix myself to kill Renee and bring you back to Volterra with me. Though the second I did find out I sent Jane and Alec out to retrieve you because I was having a bit of a temper tantrum and Aro thought it was best if I didn't go. It was purely a coincidence that they happened to arrive just when you needed them, which makes me regret the fact that I wasn't there even more." She leans back to look at my face probably to see if I'm lying to her or not. Thankfully whatever she sees she deems acceptable as she rests her head back on my shoulder.

"I'll admit that in the time that I've been here I've wondered what my life would have been like if you had taken me away from Renee. I would like to believe that I would have had a happy childhood here, even though all of you feed from humans." Isabella says in a tone that makes me smile.

"Yes, well unlike the pathetic vampires you've been associating with here we are real vampires. Besides even though Carlisle believes he's far superior because he drinks from animals it actually makes them far weaker than he's willing to acknowledge. If any of his family had to fight a human drinking vampire they'd surely lose without much of an actual fight." I feel Isabella nod against my shoulder silently.

"If they ever had turned me like they claimed they would I doubt I could drink from animals. They're too innocent and I would feel worse killing an innocent deer as opposed to a rapist or murderer." I smile softly at the fact that Isabella has thought about becoming one of us. I would like it if she did, that way I would never have to worry about losing her to old age.

"Most of the people we feed from are considered to be bad people. So if you were to remain here that would never be an issue." Again, I feel Isabella nod against my shoulder. Another silent moment settles over us, but it's not exactly a comfortable silence. It feels like Isabella is thinking hard on something. "What's on your mind?" I ask softly.

"If you were serious about killing Renee and Charlie, then technically I would be an orphan. I don't really know how I feel about that right now." I rest my chin on her head as I now voice my thoughts.

"As long as I'm alive you will never be an orphan. You will always have a home here with me. I would love to have a daughter like you." I sigh softly as I wrap my arms around Isabella's waist pulling her closer.

"You mean you've dreamed of having a daughter who's a freak and is practically hated by everybody including herself?" Isabella says with a bitter tone that breaks my unbeating heart.

"No, I dreamt of a girl who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I dreamt of a girl who needs my love just as much as I needed hers. I dreamt of a girl that Aro could spoil absolutely rotten with his love and compassion. I dreamt of a girl who would be my little princess. I'd very much love that girl to be you, whenever you're ready." I hear Isabella sniffle softly.

"How are you so sure that Aro will even like me? He might think I'm a freak too because of my condition." I weigh the thought of bending the truth a bit, but ultimately realize that wouldn't be in my best interest in the end.

"Whenever I would receive updates about you Aro would be present with me. He already knows about your condition and loves you anyway, just as I do." I feel Isabella try to pull away from me, but I tighten my grip around her enough to keep her still, but not enough to hurt her.

"He really doesn't care?" She asks softly when she realizes I'm not going to be releasing her anytime soon.

"The only thing he cares about is you being happy. The fact that you were born different doesn't change anything in his eyes. You'd still be the princess we've always wanted." I kiss Isabella's forward as she slowly nods her head finally settling back into my side comfortably.

"Maybe I could meet him one day." Isabella says softly as she begins to rest against my side heavily. I can tell by her voice that she's attempting to fight off falling asleep so I respond in a soft tone as to not disturb her peace too much.

"I'm positive he would absolutely love that. He's been trying to stay away to give you time to adjust and he didn't want to overwhelm you because he can be quite the character." All I receive in return is deep breaths as Isabella completely nods off.

I don't know how long we sit outside, but I just want to savor the feeling of finally being able to just hold Isabella like I've been craving since she arrived. When the temperature begins to drop I wrap my arms around her shoulders and underneath her knees. I swiftly stand up and walk her back to her room. Jane is kindly awaiting our return back to their room with the door wide open.

I walk in and gently set Isabella down on the bed. She wastes no time rolling over on her side and nuzzles into a pillow on the opposite side. I couldn't resist chuckling when I over and see Jane smiling proudly.

"That's my pillow she's snuggling with. She seems to really enjoy the way I smell." I nod in understanding as we both turn to look at Isabella again. I don't know long we're standing there before we hear her release a soft whimper.

"Is she still being plagued by nightmares?" I ask Jane softly when I hear her sigh as she moves to her side of the bed. She wastes no time sliding in next to Isabella and pulling her as close as possible. Thankfully that seems to quiet her immediately before the dreams could become too bad.

"Unfortunately they are an everyday occurrence. She really won't tell me much about them besides the fact that she's been suffering from nightmares for quite a while. I'd imagine they're only made worse why her most recent transgression." I nod silently as I see Isabella nuzzle her head into the area between Jane's neck and shoulder.

I feel my eyes blacken again when I remember what kind of condition Isabella was in when she originally graced these hallowed halls in Jane's arms. "We're still working on located that bastard. Would you like to be on the team that brings him in?" I see Jane is about to readily agree when she suddenly looks down at Isabella. I can see the hesitation in her eyes about the thought of leaving Isabella especially when she might need her.

"How about you two talk about it when she wakes up, and then you can let me know. It's not like you have to decide right now anyway." I see Jane nod as she tightens her grip around Isabella's waist.

I watch them for a little while longer before I turn and make my exit. I slowly make my way back to the throne room with a soft smile on my face. I know Isabella and I still have a lot to talk about, but I think we're finally on the right path for once.

 **Okay so I realize we've gotten off to a bit of a slow start here, but I don't want to rush this story especially since this is a rare pairing. For those of you who have left me messages and PM'd me I haven't abandoned this story I promise it's just been a rough semester for me. I'm going to try and write as much as I can while I'm on break, and hopefully I can manage my time better and write throughout the semester, but I make no promises on that.**


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